Latino voters split between Biden and Trump on inflation

According to a YouGov poll conducted in February 2024, Latino voters appear to be evenly divided on their perceptions of how Trump and Biden would handle inflation, a crucial policy issue. When asked to choose between the two candidates on this matter, 28% of Latino respondents favored Biden, while an equal 28% opted for Trump.

This suggest a notable split among Latino voters, despite the broader preference for Biden over Trump in the survey, with 50% of Latino voters expressing they would vote for Biden compared to only 36% saying they would pick Trump.

Biden leads on these issues among Latinos

However, the disparity between the candidates widens significantly on certain other policy issues. For instance, in terms of abortion, 42% of Latino respondents believed Biden would be better suited to handle the issue, compared to only 27% for Trump. On health care, Biden leads Trump 41% to 23%, and on foreign policy the president leads his predecessor 35% to 26%. 

Interestingly, the differences between the candidates are somewhat narrower on topics related to law enforcement and immigration.

Biden’s lead narrows on these issues among Latinos

Regarding perceptions about crime, Biden's advantage diminishes. On guns, Biden leads Trump 36% to 28% and on crime in general, Latinos favoring Biden only 35% of over Trump's 29%. 

Similarly, on immigration, while Biden maintains a lead, it is narrower, with 34% of Latinos believing he would handle the issue better compared to 29% for Trump.

In topics such as taxes, President Biden appears to face declining popularity among Latinos, with only 34% favoring him over 26% favoring Trump to handle the issue better. However, former President Trump holds the advantage in how Latinos perceive both candidates' ability to handle the economy overall, with 36% favoring Trump over 33% for Biden.

The most significant disparities between the candidates

The most significant disparities emerge in perceptions of who would handle LGBTQ issues better, with 39% of Hispanics preferring Biden and only 13% favoring Trump. However, a notable 26% of respondents expressed skepticism about either candidate's ability to effectively address the issue.

On matters related to Ukraine, Israel, and foreign policy in general, Latinos tend to view Biden more favorably. Conversely, perceptions regarding China show a more even split, with 32% favoring each candidate.

How the candidates fare among the general population 

In terms of responses from the general population, more Americans believe Trump would handle certain issues better than Biden, rather than the reverse. These include the economy (47% vs. 34%), immigration (45% vs. 31%), China (45% vs. 31%), inflation (44% vs. 33%), foreign policy (42% vs. 35%), guns (42% vs. 32%), crime (41% vs. 33%), taxes (41% vs. 33%), Ukraine (41% vs. 35%), and Israel (39% vs. 31%).

Conversely, slightly more Americans believe Biden would do a better job than Trump when it comes to handling the environment (40% vs. 31%), education (40% vs. 34%), health care (39% vs. 34%), and LGBTQ issues (38% vs. 27%). Additionally, by a narrow margin, more also believe Biden would handle abortion better than Trump (37% vs. 33%).

Additionally, in terms of independent voters, more think Biden would be better at handling health care and the environment but think that Trump would better handle the economy and China.