New UnidosUS Bipartisan Poll: Hispanic Voters Feeling Economically Strained, Concerned about their Safety and Ready to Vote — With a Clear Message for Candidates

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President Trump’s Latino support continues to erode with 25% of those who voted for him in 2024 saying they wouldn’t today; 76% of Hispanic voters say they are “certain” or “almost certain” to vote in November

WASHINGTON — Latino voters are feeling economically strained, overwhelmingly concerned about Congress’ lack of leadership and planning to head to the polls in numbers similar to the record-setting 2018 midterms, according to a sweeping new bipartisan survey released today by UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization.

The new UnidosUS Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to the 2026 Midterms makes clear that any elected leader or candidate who ignores the surging sentiment of the Latino electorate, the nation’s second-largest voting-age population, does so at their own peril.

The survey — the largest of its kind, polling 3,000 registered Latino voters nationally and across 32 competitive congressional districts — paints an urgent and unmistakable picture: Latino families are living under severe economic strain, worried about their constitutional protections and holding Washington directly accountable.

The poll reveals that 76% of those surveyed plan to show up to the polls in November, as rising costs and inflation continue to shape the daily realities of Latino families, fueling widespread dissatisfaction with the current direction of the country. More than two-thirds (68%) of Hispanic voters surveyed believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, and two-thirds (66%) say that President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are simply not focused on improving the economy.

“Latinos across the country are suffering the consequences of a disastrous economy and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, and they blame President Trump and Congressional Republicans for failing to fix them. Latinos have also faced the relentless assault of the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign and the violence and terror it has brought to communities,” said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía. “This bipartisan UnidosUS poll provides the best snapshot to date of how Latinos are feeling and what they want ahead of this year’s midterm elections.”

“As the fastest-growing and most influential voting demographic in the country, Latinos have clear demands about what our families need and real consequences for the politicians who fail to meet them,” Murguía said.


The Economy Is the Story — And Latinos Are Not Being Heard

Only 15% of Latino voters say they live comfortably. The other 83% are locked in a continuous daily struggle to stay financially afloat — stretched by the cost of food, gas, housing, healthcare and basic necessities that keep climbing while wages stay flat and Washington stays distracted or takes actions that make matters worse.  

When asked for their top priorities on what elected officials must address, four of their top five priorities are dominated by pocketbook concerns:

  • Sixty percent (60%) cite the cost of living as their top priority, particularly the cost of basic living expenses, food and gas.

  • Forty percent (40%) want action on wages and the economy, particularly higher wages and job creation.

  • Thirty-seven percent (37%) cite soaring health care costs, from increased premiums to access to medication.

  • Twenty-seven percent (27%) want action on housing, with the cost of electricity and utilities now surpassing the demand for more affordable housing.

“The cost of living remains a top concern for Latino voters and the personal financial pain points are everywhere. The voters are being squeezed by the cost of food, gas, housing, healthcare and basic necessities while wages fail to keep up. Meanwhile in Washington these worries are not even getting in the room for politicians distracted by ballrooms and slush funds and it’s no wonder voters expect their economic situation to worsen over the next year,” said Eric Rodriguez, UnidosUS’s Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy. “These concerns are kitchen table breaking points, and the reason two-thirds of Latino voters say that national leaders are not focusing enough on improving the economy for people like them.”

  • Sixty-eight percent (68%) say the country is headed in the wrong direction.

  • Sixty-six percent (66%) say President Trump and congressional Republicans are simply not focused on fixing the economy.

  • Fifty-two percent (52%) expect President Trump’s economic policies will leave them even worse off over the next 12 months.

  • Eighty-four percent (84%) express deep concern that Congress is failing to fulfill its checks-and-balances role and is ceding too much authority to the executive branch. This dissatisfaction is up from 81% in November 2025.


President Trump Is Eroding his Latino Support, But Democrats Have Work to Do

The poll delivers a stark warning for the White House. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of Latino voters disapprove of President Trump’s job performance — with majority disapproval holding in every geographic area surveyed, including Florida at 51%.

One-in-four Latino voters who voted for President Trump in 2024 say that if they could do it over again, they would not vote for him. That figure has grown steadily from 9% in April 2025 to 13% in November 2025 to 25% today — a cautionary note for his party’s candidates heading into November.

The drivers of that erosion are telling: the cost of living and inflation (44%), immigration enforcement in American cities (33%), job and wage stagnation (26%) and the war in Iran (25%) top the list. Latino voters are not just disappointed; they are making the connection between this administration’s policies and the economic pain they feel every single day.

At the same time, there are also warnings for Democrats, who in the generic ballot are ahead but still underperforming support levels achieved in 2024. Latino voters are currently more motivated to vote in support of their community than in support of Democratic candidates, compared with Latino Republican voters who are more motivated to vote to support their candidates.

Constitutional Alarm Bells Paving the Way Toward November

The economic crisis is not the only thing shaping Latino voter sentiment:

  • Fifty-eight percent (58%) say civil rights and liberties have become less secure under the current administration.

  • Fifty-two percent (52%) are not confident the government will respect their basic constitutional rights.

  • Seventy-nine percent (79%) think the president should be required to get congressional approval before taking military action against another country.

  • Eighty-four percent (84%) — up from 81% in November 2025 — say Congress is failing its constitutional duty by ceding too much authority to the executive branch.

Latino voters made clear that they aren’t planning to stay on the sidelines, they are watching, documenting and preparing for November.

  • Seventy-six percent (76%) of registered Latino voters say they are paying attention to national news and political events.

  • That said, there is a gap between intent and motivation, with 68% saying they are extremely (41%) or very motivated (27%).

  • These figures should send a clear signal to every competitive congressional district in the country about the need for meaningful engagement and response to this expanding group of voters, 40% of whom have joined the electorate in just the last four years.


Immigration: Nuance the Narrative Misses

“The poll also makes clear that immigration is a priority for Hispanic voters, the fifth on the list, and they disagree with the mass deportation agenda. They want to see a fair and orderly immigration system with appropriate protections and guardrails,” said UnidosUS’s Deborah Fleischaker, Senior Advisor, Immigration Policy and Strategy.

In fact, the overwhelming majority of Latino voters, including the majority of Republicans, support legalization for long-residing undocumented immigrants, even when the program is described as “amnesty.” And 7 in 10 of Latino voters oppose providing additional funding for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without protections.

These immigration actions have broader implications — 44% say they or people in their communities fear immigration authorities will harass or arrest them even if they are U.S. citizens or legal residents, and nearly 29% say children are missing school because parents are afraid of being arrested during drop-off and pick-up. These actions have real, measurable economic consequences: more than 30% report that employers have lost workers and 30% say these actions are hurting the local economy.

This is not a debate about policy abstractions. It is a crisis unfolding in American communities, schools and workplaces right now.

For More Information on the Bipartisan National and Congressional Districts Poll of Hispanic Voters: Road to the 2026:

  • Click HERE to watch a replay of today’s webinar.

  • Click HERE to see a slide presentation of the poll’s national toplines.

  • Click HERE to view demographic crosstabs.

  • For interactive Latino poll results, see Hispanic Electorate Data Hub.

 

About the UnidosUS Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to 2026 Midterms:

Bipartisan Pollster team: BSP Research and Shaw & Co. Research

  • Total N = 3,000 registered Latino voters, margin of error of +/- 1.8

  • Field dates: April 27 – May 14, 2026

  • Survey available in English and Spanish according to respondent preference

  • Mixed-mode data collection strategy: live telephone interviews, text invitations and verified online panels matched to voter files

Today’s UnidosUS bipartisan survey includes robust state-level oversamples and targets 32 competitive battleground congressional districts across six distinct regional clusters. UnidosUS is releasing this state and district data today and will host a series of deeper dive, virtual state briefings over the next several days:

  • Florida: Thursday, May 28, at 10:30 a.m. ET

  • Texas: Thursday, May 28, at 1:30 p.m. ET / 12:30 p.m. CT

  • California: Friday, May 29 at 3:00 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT

  • Arizona: Wednesday, June 3, at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. MT

Additional data on Hispanic voters in northeast and southwest battleground states will be issued on Monday, June 1:

  • Northeast battleground congressional districts (CDs): N=300 respondents from NJ-07, NJ-09, NY-03, NY-04, NY-17, PA-07, PA-08, and PA-10

  • Southwest battleground congressional districts (CDs): N=300 respondents from CDs: CO-03, CO-05, CO-08, NM-02, NV-01, NV-03, and NV-04

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About UnidosUS  

UnidosUS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves as the nation’s largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization. Since 1968, we have built a stronger America by creating opportunities for Latinos and breaking down barriers to expand economic and social progress for all. UnidosUS partners with an Affiliate Network of nearly 300 community-based organizations across the United States and Puerto Rico. For more information on UnidosUS, visit www.unidosus.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, X and Threads.   

 

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. Sha w 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.