Washington, DC, April 9, 2024 – Heading into the 2024 presidential election, Latino Americans view both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump unfavorably, according to the findings of a new Axios/Ipsos poll conducted in partnership with Noticias Telemundo of over 1,000 Latino/Hispanic Americans. The poll also finds that Latinos tend to prefer Trump when it comes to the economy, crime, and immigration, but prefer Biden when it comes to abortion issues.
Aside from political preferences, the poll also finds that younger Latinos are less likely to feel that they can live the “American Dream” and feel less optimistic about the future of the United States.
Detailed Findings
.Latinos in general have somewhat low favorability ratings of major political figures, including President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
A plurality of Latinos hold an unfavorable view of Biden (41% favorable, 47% unfavorable), while Trump is seen even less favorably (32% favorable, 56% unfavorable). Vice President Kamala Harris is seen roughly equally favorably (39%) as she is unfavorably (38%).
Just over half of Latinos say inflation (53%) is the issue they find most worrying. Crime and gun violence (34%) and immigration (28%) fall as second-tier concerns. Less than one in five say political extremism or polarization (16%) is a top concern.
.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.
Latinos are far more likely to say that the Democratic Party represents people like them (36%), cares about Latino and Hispanic people (34%), and shares their values (32%) compared to the Republican Party (16%, 12%, and 17%, respectively).
That said, Latinos aren’t as keen on Biden himself. In an exercise where respondents indicate who does a better job on handling issues between Biden and Trump, Biden underperforms compared to the Democratic Party overall.
The net difference between Biden and Trump on several key statements is smaller than the difference between the Democratic and Republican Party. For example, while the Democratic Party has a 20-percentage point advantage over Republicans on the statement “represents people like me,” Biden only holds a 5-percentage point advantage over Trump. Older Latinos tend to prefer Biden over Trump in this area compared to younger Latinos.
When asked which party is good for the U.S. economy, Latinos are roughly split between the Republican Party (25%) and the Democratic Party (22%). In comparison, 26% of Latinos said the Republican Party is good for the U.S. economy and 19% said the same of the Democratic Party in June 2023.
When asked who is better for the U.S. economy, Latinos prefer Trump (42%) over Biden (20%). On crime and public safety, Trump (31%) also outperforms Biden (20%). On the other hand, Biden performs better on abortion issues (30% Biden, 21% Trump).
.Latinos are somewhat mixed when it comes to immigration. While most support providing a path to U.S. citizenship for people in the U.S. illegally, a majority also thinks improving border security should be a priority for the U.S. government. A bare majority also agrees that they worry that if the government begins mass deportations of illegal immigrants, they may target all Latinos, including native and legal residents.
Roughly two in three Latinos say they support providing a path to U.S. citizenship for all people currently in the U.S. illegally (65%) and allowing refugees fleeing crime and violence in Latin American to claim asylum in the U.S. (59%). These levels are roughly unchanged since December 2021 (68%, 60% respectively).
That said, 64% support giving the president authority to shut U.S. borders if there are too many migrants trying to enter the country.
A minority supports building a wall or fence along the entire U.S.-Mexico border (42%) or sending all undocumented immigrants in the U.S. back to their country of origin (38%). Compared to December 2021, more Latinos support building a wall (30% in December 2021) and sending all undocumented immigrants back to their country of origin (28%).
Half of respondents (52%) say they agree that they worry that if the government starts mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, they will target all Latinos, including native and legal residents, not only the undocumented. These levels are highest among respondents who speak only Spanish (59%) as well as first generation respondents (57%).
A majority of Latinos say they think that improving border security (62%) and reforming the immigration system (70%) is important for the U.S. government to prioritize. Around one in four say that improving border security (24%) or reforming the immigration system (26%) should be the most important priority for the government.  
.Latino Americans are less optimistic that they can live the “American Dream” – especially younger Latinos.
Just over half of Latinos say it’s a good time to be a Latino or Hispanic person in America, compared to 40% who say it’s a bad time, levels that are roughly unchanged since June 2023. However, compared to 2022, more Latinos say it’s a bad time to be a Latino or Hispanic person in the U.S. (31% October 2022, 29% June 2022).
Roughly half of respondents (53%) say they believe they can live the “American Dream,” levels that have dropped since March 2022 (61%). Younger Latinos aged 18-29 (37%) are far less likely to feel that they can live the “American Dream” than their older counterparts. First generation Latinos, on the other hand, are more likely to feel they can live the “American Dream” (59%) compared to second (46%) or third (48%) generation Latinos.
Less than half of Latinos say they are optimistic about the future of the U.S. (41%); levels that are also lowest among those aged 18-29 (32%).
Around half believe Latino or Hispanic people do not have the same opportunities as white people in the U.S. (53%).

Ipsos