A new poll of 3,000 Latino registered voters finds that immigration ranks far below bread-and-butter economic issues like inflation, jobs, and housing.
The UnidosUS “Road to 2026” survey, conducted from October 8 to 22 and released this month, found that only 20% of Latino respondents listed “immigration reform” and just 10% cited “border security” among their policy priorities.
By contrast, 53% identified “cost of living and inflation” as their top concern, followed by “jobs and the economy” at 36% and “housing costs and affordability” at 32%.
The results suggest that the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration actions, including the termination of Temporary Protected Status for legal Venezuelans and increased enforcement actions on the southern border and in the nation’s interior, have not elevated the issue’s importance among Latino voters.
UnidosUS, a nonprofit organization with a generally left-leaning reputation, commissioned BSP Research and Shaw & Company to conduct the poll. The researchers reported a margin of error of ±1.8 % for the national sample.
Below are the full national results by demographic group, as reported:
UnidosUS Bipartisan Poll of Hispanic Voters: The Road to 2026
October 8–22, 2025 – N=3,000 (+/- 1.8%)
NATIONAL RESULTS BY DEMOGRAPHICS
| Issue | Total | M18-24 | W18-24 | M25-29 | W25-29 | M30-34 | W30-34 | M35-39 | W35-39 | M40-49 | W40-49 | M50-59 | W50-59 | M60+ | W60+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of living / inflation | 53 | 56 | 47 | 57 | 50 | 61 | 50 | 52 | 55 | 52 | 55 | 50 | 57 | 53 | 54 |
| Jobs and the economy | 36 | 44 | 31 | 35 | 35 | 58 | 36 | 40 | 35 | 41 | 37 | 32 | 29 | 28 | 26 |
| Housing costs and affordability | 32 | 35 | 32 | 34 | 30 | 36 | 36 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 40 | 33 | 33 | 19 | 23 |
| Health care | 30 | 21 | 34 | 26 | 31 | 34 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 30 | 26 | 30 | 46 | 33 | 28 |
| Immigration reform | 20 | 21 | 24 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 30 | 27 | 20 | 17 | 17 | 15 | 13 | 23 | 19 |
| Gun violence | 19 | 20 | 32 | 20 | 27 | 11 | 22 | 18 | 26 | 21 | 17 | 12 | 15 | 12 | 16 |
| Social Security and Medicare | 10 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 11 | 22 | 29 |
| Border security | 10 | 13 | 5 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 4 | 14 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 5 | 15 | 13 |
| Crime | 10 | 10 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 9 | — |
| Abortion | 9 | 9 | 18 | 12 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 5 |
| Homelessness | 8 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 7 |
| Education and schools | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 | 13 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 15 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Taxes | 7 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Government corruption and corporate influence | 7 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 11 |
| Protecting the rule of law and constitutional rights | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 6 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Civil rights and equal opportunity for all | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Something else | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 10 |
| Protecting democracy and the right to vote | 5 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
| Climate change and the environment | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 4 |
| Reducing government spending and size of government | 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
| Police brutality / police reform | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | — |
| Upholding traditional values / Family values | 2 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| LGBTQ rights | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Foreign policy / wars in Ukraine, Middle East, etc. | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Three of the least important issues to Latino voters, according to the poll, were “Foreign policy / wars in Ukraine, Middle East, etc.” (1%), “LGBTQ rights” (1%), and “Upholding traditional/family values” (2%).
Even “protecting democracy and the right to vote,” a major theme in recent national campaigns, drew just 5% overall.
The surveyed population leaned slightly towards females and Democrats, according to UnidosUS. Of the 3,000 respondents, 46% identified as Democrats, 26% as Republicans, and 28% as Independents. Women represented 1,635 respondents to men’s 1,348. More than two-thirds had at least some college education.
The poll focused on southern and southwestern states but acknowledged higher margins of error in these subsets. “In each of the following states—Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, and Texas—400 Latino registered voters were polled. These stand-alone state samples have a margin of error of ±4.9 percentage points,” the methodology section reads.
Many of the questions did not include balancing perspectives and may have influenced the poll’s results.
One question, for example, stated: “In a recent ruling, the United States Supreme Court said that ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) could use appearance, Spanish speaking, and manual work/labor as enough reason to arrest someone on suspicion of immigration violations. Some have suggested that this puts Latino citizens and legal immigrants at risk of being harassed or detained.” This phrasing included criticism and negative framing without a countering perspective before soliciting opinions.
The UnidosUS poll was conducted amid major immigration developments, including the Trump administration’s actions to end Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans and report record-low border crossings in October, according to a Department of Homeland Security release on November 5.
The poll was also conducted after a series of high-profile immigration enforcement actions that have sparked debate nationwide. These have included efforts to deport El Salvadoran Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Liberia, following his return from his home country earlier this year. Garcia is an illegal alien and a resident of Maryland who is currently facing human trafficking charges. He became a flashpoint in American politics earlier this year when a federal court battle ensued around the legality of his deportation to El Salvador.
Despite these policy shifts, the UnidosUS findings suggest that Latino voters are far more concerned about economic pressures than immigration or border issues heading into the 2026 midterms.