The Economy Is the Top Issue for Latino Voters in the 2026 Midterms

About this research This Pew Research Center analysis focuses on Latino registered voters and the 2026 midterm election. Why did we do this? Pew Research Center conducts research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. This analysis builds on a larger body of work that explores the views and attitudes of Latino voters in U.S. elections and the attitudes and experiences of Latinos in the United States. Learn more about Pew Research Center, our research on Hispanics in the U.S. and other research on race and ethnicity. How did we do this? We surveyed 5,062 U.S. adults, including 774 Hispanic registered voters, from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026. Everyone who took this survey is part of the Center’s American Trends Panel. The survey was conducted in English and Spanish and represents the views of the full U.S. adult population. Read more about the ATP’s methodology. Here are the questions used for this analysis, detailed responses and the survey methodology. List of key terms The terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably in this report. In a previous survey, respondents were asked a question about their voter registration status. In this report, respondents are considered registered voters if they self-report being absolutely certain they are registered at their current address. Respondents are considered not registered to vote if they report not being registered or express uncertainty about their registration. The terms “registered voters” and “voters” are used interchangeably in this report. This analysis includes comparisons between Latino registered voters and other registered voters. In these cases, the terms other registered voters or other voters refer to those who are not Latino. Validated voters are adult citizens who told us in a postelection survey that they voted in a given general election and have a record of voting in a commercial voter file. Trump voters are validated voters who self-reported that they voted for Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Harris voters are validated voters who self-reported that they voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election. Nonvoters are those who did not vote in 2024 but were eligible to do so. For Latino voters, the economy is the top issue on their minds when it comes to the upcoming congressional elections, much like other registered voters. More than eight-in-ten Latino registered voters (86%) say the economy is very important to their vote for Congress in the November elections. The economy is also the top issue among Latino registered voters regardless of which candidate for Congress they support – 89% of Latino voters who support their House district’s Democratic candidate in the 2026 midterms and 78% of Republican candidate backers say it is very important to their vote this year. At least three-quarters of all Latino voters also say that healthcare (80%) and education (75%) are very important issues for their congressional vote. However, unlike the economy, there are wide differences depending on which candidate Latino voters support. Latinos backing their Democratic candidate are 31 percentage points more likely than Republican voters to say healthcare is very important to their vote for Congress this year and 27 points more likely to say the same about education. Additionally, two-thirds or more of Latino voters say the future of democracy (69%) and immigration (64%) are key considerations to their vote. These findings come from a new Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults, including 774 Latino registered voters, conducted from Sept. 28 to Oct. 4, 2026. This is part of a larger report on the attitudes and dynamics among Latino registered voters in the 2026 midterm elections. How Latino voters rate the economy and the impact of Trump’s economic policies Latino voters are more downbeat about national economic conditions than in September 2025. Today, just 19% say economic conditions in the United States are excellent or good, down from 26% a year ago. Although both Latino voters who prefer Republican and Democratic candidates prioritize the economy, they differ in their assessment of current conditions: 58% of Latino Republican voters say the state of the economy is only fair or poor, while 42% say it is excellent or good. 90% of Latino Democratic voters rate the economy negatively, compared with 9% who give it a positive rating. And when asked how President Donald Trump’s policies have affected the economy, 74% of all Latino voters say they have made conditions worse, up from 61% in 2025. Top economic concerns among Latino voters The price of gas and energy is now one of the top economic concerns among Latino voters ahead of the midterms. Eight-in-ten (80%) say they are very concerned about this, up from 48% in January. Large majorities of Latino voters also say they are concerned about the cost of: Housing (80%) Food and consumer goods (78%) Healthcare (77%) In addition, a majority of Latino voters now say they are very concerned about unemployment, with 59% saying this – up from 47% who said the same in September 2025 and 40% who said this in January 2024. Views of the Trump administration’s deportations efforts Immigration-related arrests rose over the summer, reaching a new high for the current Trump administration. This follows large increases in immigration enforcement funding approved by Congress earlier in the summer and in 2025. Amid this escalation, most Latino voters are critical of the Trump administration’s approach to deportations. About six-in-ten (62%) say the administration is doing too much when it comes to deporting immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Another 22% say the administration is doing about the right amount, and 14% say it’s doing too little. Still, Latino voters who backed their Republican congressional candidate largely support the Trump administration’s approach to deportations: 47% say that what the administration is doing on deportations is about the right amount. 33% say it’s doing too little. 19% say it’s doing too much. By comparison, 86% of Latino Democratic voters say the Trump administration is doing too much when it comes to deportations.