Only 6% of Georgia Hispanics think the country is headed in the right direction

Hispanic voters in Georgia, a midterms battleground state, have been suffering more from high prices than the overall electorate, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The poll, conducted by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Georgia News Collaborative, found that 64% of Latino voters in the state said high prices have had a “significant, negative impact on their lives,” compared to 54% of Georgia voters overall. 28% of Latino voters reported a “noticeable” effect on their lives while 1% said it had no real impact.

Only 6% of Georgia Latinos surveyed thought the country was headed in the right direction, according to the poll, which also found President Joe Biden’s net approval rating is negative with them.

The findings underscore how the economy is a dominant source of concern among Georgia’s Hispanic voters. National polls have indicated the demographic, which traditionally leans Democrat, is swinging toward Republicans in large part due to their focus on economic issues and public safety.

Almost 80% of poll respondents said the cost of living was “extremely” or “very” important in deciding who they would vote for.

A realtor interviewed by the Journal-Constitution said the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes have also locked many families out of the housing market.

“The cost of living is ridiculous and middle-class America just can’t really sustain this for very much longer,” said Elizabeth Gomez, a 34-year-old realtor in Alpharetta.

Last week, the Atlanta Journal Constitution released a poll that found Republican Gov. Brian Kemp had built a 10-point lead over his challenger, Democrat Stacey Abrams.

Sen. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, was “neck-and-neck” with Republican Herschel Walker before their first debate on Friday.

Only one-fifth of voters in last week’s poll said the nation was headed in the right direction, but two-thirds said they would recommend out-of-town friends and family join them in Georgia.