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A new Fox News poll shows that a majority of Hispanics disapprove of President Biden’s handling of immigration, while also showing growing fears over inflation and the general state of the economy. The survey, which was conducted to over 1,002 respondents of all ethnicities between August 7-10, provides a key insight into the way the political winds are blowing for President Biden, such as how the public is evaluating his handling over issues like the COVID response, crime, the economy, and foreign affairs.
The top-line numbers for the President are generally positive, with 64% of Hispanic respondents generally approving his administration and the same percentage of Latino respondents also approve of the President’s handling of the COVID pandemic, while a slightly smaller percentage of Latinos (55%) approve of Biden’s handling of the economy. Biden’s personal image also holds a similar image with the Hispanic community, with 62% having a favorable opinion of the 46th president.
However, not all that shines is gold, and below the surface, there are some worrying (or encouraging if you are a Republican) numbers when we observe the more detailed questions about the President’s handling on immigration, crime, and the growing concern among Latinos over inflation and unemployment.
Biden’s weak points with Hispanic voters
While a majority of Hispanic respondents approve of the President’s overall job performance, his numbers are significantly less positive when asked about his handling in immigration, as his numbers go from more than 60% approval to only 40% acceptance while 49% of Hispanics disapprove with Biden’s job over this particular issue.
Similarly, 53% of Hispanics say they are concerned over illegal immigration, an issue that has brought many headaches to President Biden as border crossing reaches record-breaking heights. Likewise, Hispanics are equally divided when asked if they think that the election of Biden is the main reason for the current influx of migrants coming from the southern border, with 48% both agreeing and disagreeing on that proposition.
In the issue of crime, Biden’s approvals suffer a significant decrease from his general numbers, with only 47% of Hispanics approving of Biden’s job on crime, while 39% do not approve of Biden’s job. The rise in violent crime also occupies an important place in the minds of Hispanic voters, with 81% of them saying they are concerned about crime.
The Fox survey also gives us an enlightening insight on the issues that most concern the Hispanic voter. A substantial majority of Hispanics are concerned about the current rise in prices, with 86% of Latinos saying they are either very or extremely concerned about inflation, while 70% of Hispanics are also concerned about unemployment, which has significantly y decreased since the height of the pandemic, but that has yet to recover to pre-pandemic levels.
While the President can see the topline numbers and feel comfortable with his standing with the Hispanic community, a deeper look into the data shows that while Biden remains overall popular with Latinos, his administration’s handling of immigration and the rise of violent crime provide ample avenues of attack by Republican politicians. Additionally, the rise of inflation and his lukewarm approval ratings on economic issues could also imperil his position with the Latino voting bloc.
The latest data from the U.S. Census Bureau show a significant growth of the Hispanic population in the United States, while the white population has decreased for the first time in history. As the Hispanic voting bloc becomes more important, both parties will be doing their best to try and capture the heterogeneous, complex, yet vital Latino vote.
Daniel is a Political Science and Economics student from the University of South Florida. He worked as a congressional intern to Rep. Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) from January to May 2020. He also is the head of international analysis at Politiks // Daniel es un estudiante de Cs Políticas y Economía en la Universidad del Sur de la Florida. Trabajo como pasante legislativo para el Representate Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) desde enero hasta mayo del 2020. Daniel también es el jefe de análisis internacional de Politiks.