Polling suggests severe dissatisfaction among Latinos over the economy and immigration
A new poll suggests Kamala Harris may face serious difficulties with Latinos, a key demographic if she hopes to win the election in November.
The new poll, from the LIBRE Institute, shows that Latinos are pessimistic about the direction of the country. 72% of those surveyed said they felt the country was heading in the wrong direction, with 59% disapproving of the job Joe Biden is doing as president, a 12% increase since last year’s LIBRE poll of Hispanic voters. Independent Hispanics had a particularly unfavourable view of Biden.
Just under 50% of Hispanics said they think they’re worse off than they were four years ago. 76% said they thought the economy was in a “fair” or “poor” state. Forty-two percent expected the economy to get worse and 85% said inflation was negatively affecting their lives.
Nearly three-quarters said they still believed in the American Dream, but 88% said it was harder then ever to achieve.
On immigration, 86% said the current system is broken, and 73% said that the southern border needs to be secured.
The polling was conducted between 2 May and 7 May 2024, among 1,200 registered Hispanic voters. As such, it doesn’t take into account more recent events, including the withdrawal of Joe Biden from the race in favour of Kamala Harris, or the assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump.
Even so, the poll suggests clear potential difficulties for Harris with regard to the economy, immigration and optimism about America’s future. Polling conducted more recently suggests that the Latino community is split down the middle with regard to Harris, with 44% holding a favourable view and 43% holding an unfavourable view.
As the nation’s largest minority group, at just under 20% according to the 2020 census, Latinos are a key demographic in the upcoming election.
