FAU Poll Shows Majority of Hispanics Think Trump Will Not Be Good for U.S. Economy or Relations With Other Countries

MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Hellegaard
561-319-2233, jhellegaard@fau.edu

BOCA RATON, Fla. (December 12, 2016) – A majority of Hispanics think U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will not be good for the country’s economy or the United States’ relationships with other countries, according to a national poll conducted by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economics Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).

“As expected Hispanics are pessimistic about the economic outlook of the nation and foreign policy under President-elect Donald Trump,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI and associate professor of economics in the FAU College of Business. “Perhaps a plausible explanation for such pessimism is the uncertainty regarding immigration policy that directly affects a great number of Hispanics.”

Overall, 47 percent of Hispanics responding to the survey think Trump will make the economy better while 53 percent think he is going to make the economy worse. Only 30 percent of Hispanics think Trump will improve the United States’ relationship with other countries, while 70 percent think he will worsen them. 

A majority of Hispanics also do not trust the federal government, with 47 percent saying they have a fair amount or a great deal of trust, and 53 percent saying they have not much trust or none at all. 

Overall, 73 percent of Hispanics said they voted for Hillary Clinton, while 22 percent voted for Trump and 5 percent for someone else. Hispanics under the age of 35 (26 percent) were more likely to vote for Trump than those 35 to 54 years old (20 percent) and those over 55 (18 percent). 

Of the 28 percent of Hispanics who did not vote in the U.S. presidential election, 22 percent of them indicated their reason was they disliked both candidates.  “Our survey shows that President-elect Trump has a significant task in attracting the support of Hispanics who overwhelmingly voted against him and are not optimistic about the upcoming new administration,” said Kevin Wagner, Ph.D., associate professor of political science at FAU and a research fellow of the Initiative.        

The national poll of 500 Hispanics was conducted Nov. 1-30 and carries a +/- 4.33 percent margin of error and a 95 percent confidence level. 

For more information, contact Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI, at 561-297-1312 or mescaler@fau.edu, or visit www.business.fau.edu/bepi.  

- FAU -

About FAU BEPI: 

The Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative conducts surveys on business, economic, political and social issues with a focus on Hispanic attitudes and opinions at regional, state and national levels via planned monthly national surveys. The initiative subscribes to the American Association of Public Opinion Research and is a resource for public and private organizations, academic research and media outlets. In addition, the initiative is designed to contribute to the educational mission of the University by providing students with valuable opportunities to enhance their educational experience by designing and carrying out public opinion research. 

About Florida Atlantic University 

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate

College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.