Hispanics' perception of President Joe Biden continues to worsen. Fifty-seven percent of the Hispanic community disapprove of his performance as president. The poor rating stems from high disapproval of the president's policies on the economy (66%), immigration (62%) and especially Mexican border security (73%). This last figure breaks the previous high of the group's dissatisfaction with border security policies.
According to a Quinnipiac University poll, the slight recovery of the president's image after the midterms has once again regressed after the discovery of classified documents in his private offices and residences as well as the alarming data on illegal immigration that was released at the end of 2022. After his approval rating reached as high as 40% in December, it fell back to 36% in January, with 53% of Americans outright disapproving of his job as president. The divide is more pronounced among Hispanics, where only 31% approve of Biden's work compared to 57% who disapprove.
Border crisis
Criticism is especially overwhelming regarding the southern border. In January 2023, the Biden administration has broken its own record for disapproval, with 68% of citizens reporting that they are against Washington's actions on border policy compared to just 18% in support. Hispanics are even more disgruntled than the national average, with 73% of them disapproving and only 11% in favor. Until now, the highest rating of border policy disapproval for Hispanics was recorded in October 2021 (67%), when approval was just 23%.
Failure in immigration policy
In relation to the above, 65% of those surveyed also disliked Biden's immigration policy, while just 22% approved. Hispanics were less critical on this occasion but still had a majority of respondents (62%) disapprove, compared to just 24% who were in support.
Economic measures
Americans are very concerned about the state of the economy. Despite the administration's positive messages and the slowing of inflation in December, 61% of respondents still distrust the government's economic management, compared to just 34% in support. Among Hispanics, the Democrats' economic management is even more poorly rated, with just 27% in favor (the lowest of any ethnic or racial group) and 66% in disapproval.
Inflation the main priority
According to the survey, the top priority for citizens is inflation. Thirty-five percent of Americans agree on this point, which is also the most urgent for 37% of Hispanics. In fact, members of the Hispanic community are more concerned than any other racial or ethnic group on this issue. This is followed by climate change (11%) and healthcare (8%). For Hispanics, the second highest priority is healthcare, followed by immigration.
Criticism of Biden's handling of classified documents
The majority of respondents indicated their dissatisfaction (60%) with how the case of Biden's hidden classified documents has been handled by the president's team. However, a plurality of respondents believe that the president should not face charges for this matter (46%), compared to 37% who believe that he should have to explain himself before a judge. Among Hispanics, 62% view Biden's handling of the documents after leaving the vice presidency under the Obama administration as "inappropriate."
