FLORIDA POLL: Latino Voters Demand More Focus on the Economy and Affordability; Less on Cultural Issues
Nearly 8 in 10 want greater guardrails on the Executive Branch
MIAMI, FL — UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, released a new bipartisan poll today showing that Florida Latino voters want their elected leaders to focus on economic issues such as rising costs, jobs, housing and health care. While 46% say elections should address both economic concerns and moral/values issues, just 10% say it should be more about the latter, among the lowest levels nationally and in stark contrast to what has dominated political debate in the state.
Frustrations around the economy are high: 58% say President Trump and Republicans in Congress are not doing enough to improve the economy, and 55% hold the President and Republicans responsible for the federal government shutdown, compared to 24% who blame Democrats. Additionally, 78% say Congress should exercise its constitutional oversight and rein in the presidency.
Latinos are the nation’s second-largest voting-age population and a critical group whose priorities should carry significant weight, particularly in an environment of razor-thin margins. Seven in 10 Floridian Latino voters say they are certain or likely to vote, and if the 2026 midterm elections were held today, 39% would support Democrats and 38% Republicans in the U.S. House races. However, both parties underperform when compared to voter support levels in 2024, likely a sign of voter discontent.
The findings come from the Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to 2026, a large-scale poll of 3,000 Latino voters across the U.S., including an oversample of 400 Latino voters in Florida.
On job performance, 52% of Florida Hispanic voters disapprove of how Republicans are handling Congress, and 56% disapprove of President Trump’s performance. Among those who voted for him in 2024, 10% would not vote for him in a do-over, compared to 1% of Harris voters who would not vote for her.
“Latino voters in Florida are feeling the squeeze, and they are asking why they pay the highest grocery bills in the country for food grown in their own communities,” said UnidosUS Florida State Director Jared Nordlund. “They are tired of rising costs, tired of excuses and broken promises, and tired of leaders who focus on culture wars instead of helping families live out their version of the American Dream. Floridians want real solutions on food, housing, and health care, not distractions from the basics or subsidies for millionaires and billionaires.”
- Click HERE to watch a replay of today’s webinar.
- Click HERE to see a slide presentation of the poll’s Florida toplines.
- Click HERE to view demographic crosstabs.
- For interactive Latino poll results, see Hispanic Electorate Data Hub.
“We help grow the food that fills grocery stores across the country, yet too many of our own families struggle to afford those same items,” said Arturo Lopez, Executive Director of Coalition of Florida Farmworker Organizations (COFFO). “Florida produces the food, but our farmworker communities are still choosing between gas, rent, or groceries. This poll shows what we know on the ground. People want leadership that brings down prices and invests in families who are doing the hard work.”
“We are seeing more patients every week who can no longer afford basic health care,” said Laura Kallus, CEO of Caridad Center. “As costs rise across the board, more families are turning to clinics like ours because they are priced out of the system. The fact that one in three Latino voters in Florida list health care as a top concern reflects exactly what we are seeing on the ground—growing need and not enough access.”
Key findings on Florida Latino voters include:
On Issues and Economic Landscape
- Four of the top five priorities for Hispanic voters in Florida continue to be driven by pocketbook issues:
- #1 Cost of living/inflation (55%) — Cost of food and basic living expenses, housing affordability, gas prices and electricity bills.
- #2 Jobs and economy (41%) — Wages, job security, prices and job creation.
- #3 Health care (31%) — Rising health care costs, monthly premiums, co-pays and deductibles.
- #4 Housing (29%) — Rising cost of rent and cost of electricity, utilities, taxes, home insurance, home maintenance/repairs and lack of affordable housing.
- #5 Gun violence (21%)
- 58% believe President Trump and congressional Republicans are not focusing enough on improving the economy.
- Compared to last year, 48% say their personal financial situation is about the same; 35% say it’s worse and 15% think it’s better.
- Looking ahead to next year, a plurality (43%) believes the Trump administration’s economic policies will make them worse off.
- A plurality of Floridian Hispanic voters (44%) say elections should be equally about economy/government services (education, healthcare, roads and public safety) and morality/cultural issues; only 10% say elections should be more about the latter.
On the Political Landscape and Environment
- Military deployments: A majority (59%) do not support the way in which military deployments are occurring right now, including 27% who believe federal military deployments should not happen at all.
- Civil rights: A plurality (48%) believe civil rights and liberties are less secure since Trump took office.
- Political violence: 44% are concerned they or someone they know will be a victim of political violence.
- 36% hold Republicans more responsible for increased political violence, in contrast to 22% holding Democrats responsible. 30% hold both parties responsible.
- Views of the parties: 48% say the Democratic Party cares a great deal about the Latino community, while 32% say the same of the Republican Party. In contrast, 25% say the Republican Party is hostile towards the Latino community, compared with 8% who say that of the Democratic Party.
- Which party is better on specific issues:
- Hispanic voters say they trust Democrats more to handle climate change (49%), immigration reform (47%), voting rights (45%), cost of housing (45%), health care and inflation and affordability (42%).
- Conversely, they believe Republicans would do a better job managing border security (49%), taxes (44%), crime and public safety (41%) and the federal budget deficit (35%).
On Immigration
- In Florida, concern about immigration enforcement is high; 66% oppose allowing ICE to use appearance, language, or work/manual labor as grounds for immigration arrests.
- On recent immigration policies and actions, 36% fear immigration authorities will arrest them even if they’re U.S. citizens or have legal status; 33% said employers have lost workers because people fear they’ll be arrested if they go to work; 27% said people are more afraid to attend asylum hearings or immigration appointments; and 24% said children are missing classes because their parents fear being arrested while taking their kids to school.
- Top immigration policy priorities include a path to citizenship for law-abiding and long-residing undocumented individuals, including those brought here as children (43%); cracking down on human smugglers and d in rug traffickers (39%); ensuring people in deportation proceedings have a chance to make their case in court (35%); making sure detention facilities are safe, sanitary and humane once immigrants are detained (33%); and providing support to people who have come to the U.S. legally (32%).
Earlier this week, UnidosUS held a virtual press briefing highlighting the national poll results. The organization will continue to host a series of virtual press briefings to share findings at the state level, including:
About the Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to 2026 Bipartisan pollster team, BSP Research and Shaw & Co.
- Total N=3,000 voters
- N= 400 per: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Texas
- Margin of error +/- 1.8%.
- Field Dates: October 8–22, 2025
- Survey available in English and Spanish, according to respondent preference
- Mixed mode: live phones, text invites, online panels.
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About BSP Research
BSP Research is a Latino-owned polling, research, and analytics firm headquartered in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 2021 by Matt Barreto and Gary Segura, who have more than two decades of experience in national polling and research, BSP Research is a leading research and analytic firm with expertise on the political and social views of the American population and beyond. BSP has industry-leading expertise in culturally competent research on communities of color and other forms of disadvantage, and extensive experience in bilingual polling and data gathering from all varieties of communities.
About Dr. Daron R. Shaw
Dr. Shaw is president of Shaw & Company Research and is a professor in the Government Department at the University of Texas at Austin. He teaches American Government, Campaigns & Elections, Public Opinion & Voting Behavior, and Political Parties. Professor Shaw currently serves as one half of the bipartisan polling team for Fox News and is a member of the Fox News Decision Team. He is also associate PI for the 2020 and 2024 American National Election Studies and is co-director of the University of Texas Poll.