Latino Americans hold unfavorable views of Trump, Biden, still favor Democrats - poll

• Published date: 10 April 2024
• Author: JERUSALEM POST STAFF
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

The new poll suggests that younger Latinos feel less optimistic about the future of the US. While preferences vary by issue, with Trump favoring the economy, crime, and immigration and Biden on abortion, younger Latinos express less optimism about achieving the "American Dream" and the country's future

Ipsos' online report offers four points of interest which were inferred from the collected data. The first is that "Latinos in general have somewhat low favorability ratings of major political figures, including President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump."

A large percentage of Latinos hold an unfavorable view of President Biden (41% favorable, 47% unfavorable,) with former President Trump seen even less favorably (32% favorable, 56% unfavorable,) according to the poll. Concerns among Latinos mostly revolve around inflation (53%,) followed by crime and gun violence (34%) and immigration (28%,) while fewer prioritize political extremism or polarization (16%.)

The second notion that can be understood from Ipsos' new poll is that "Latinos are somewhat mixed between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to issues like the economy and immigration. However, they are less likely to see Biden as a champion on key issues than the Democratic Party itself."

Latino views on immigration

Latinos generally favor the Democratic Party over the Republican Party, with higher percentages believing it represents them (36% vs. 16%,) cares about their community (34% vs. 12%,) and shares their values (32% vs. 17%.) However, while older Latinos prefer Biden over Trump, Biden's performance lags behind that of the Democratic Party overall.

For instance, while the Democratic Party has a 20 percent advantage over Republicans in representing people like them, Biden holds only a 5 percent advantage over Trump. Additionally, opinions are split on which party is good for the US economy, with Trump favored by 42% of Latinos compared to 20% for Biden.

The third thing that the poll highlights is that "Latinos are somewhat mixed when it comes to immigration." While a majority of Latino Americans believe that the US government should prioritize the improvement of border security, most "support providing a path to US citizenship," even for those who entered and/or stayed illegally.

Latino perspective on immigration reveals that roughly two-thirds support providing a path to US citizenship for undocumented people (65%) and allowing asylum for refugees fleeing Latin American crime and...