A new Pew Research Center survey released on Monday indicates that a growing share of U.S. Latinos feel their situation has declined under President Donald Trump, marking the first time in almost two decades of tracking that the community has reported such a downturn. According to the study, 68 percent of Latino respondents said they feel worse off than they were a year ago, while nearly 80 percent believe the administration’s policies have harmed Latinos more than they have helped, a perception researchers say is driving the overall negative sentiment.
The findings highlight mounting unease over Trump’s aggressive deportation initiatives and a cooling U.S. economy, two issues that weigh heavily on the community as the 2026 midterm elections approach. Latino voters are expected to play a pivotal role in determining whether Republicans retain control of Congress. Mark Lopez, director of Pew’s Race and Ethnicity Research, said the results suggest the potential for political repercussions, noting that if voters link their concerns to specific leaders or parties, the sentiment “could have some political implications in coming elections.”
Trump entered his second term with unusually strong backing from Latino voters for a Republican nominee, fueled by economic anxieties and growing support among Latino men during the 2024 presidential campaign. But Pew’s latest data suggests that the administration’s standing within the community has cooled significantly. The survey, conducted between October 6 and 16, included responses from 4,923 Latinos, among them 1,116 immigrants, with a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points. Pew noted in earlier research that about 82 percent of Latinos residing in the United States are legally present.
The findings mirror an October Reuters/Ipsos poll showing that only 32 percent of Hispanics approved of Trump’s performance at that time, well below his nationwide approval rating of 42 percent. Immigration enforcement emerged as a major point of contention, with 70 percent of Pew respondents saying the administration is doing “too much” to deport undocumented immigrants, up sharply from 56 percent earlier in Trump’s second term. Although many respondents acknowledged that some deportations are necessary, more than half said they fear they or someone close to them could be removed from the country, a notable increase from 42 percent recorded earlier in the year.
Despite widespread concern, the survey also revealed layers of optimism. While the cost of living remains a top pressure point, the economy continues to rank as the most important issue for Latino voters, and about half of those surveyed said they expect conditions to improve in the months ahead. Lopez said this blend of frustration and cautious hope reflects the complexity of Latino political attitudes during a period of heightened economic and social uncertainty.