BEPI Poll: Hispanic Economic Outlook Drops Amid Tariffs, Rising Prices
As households face increasing prices for goods and talk of new tariffs, Hispanic optimism in the economy waned in the first quarter of 2025, according to a poll from the Business Economic and Polling Initiative at Florida Atlantic University.
As households face increasing prices for goods and talk of new tariffs, Hispanic optimism in the economy waned in the first quarter of 2025, according to a poll from the Business Economic and Polling Initiative at Florida Atlantic University.
The Hispanic Consumer Sentiment Index (HSCI) decreased to 85.7 in the first quarter of 2025, down from 89.6 in the fourth quarter of 2024.
When compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, there was a decrease in optimism in four out of five questions used to generate the HCSI.
Looking at the year ahead, 53% of Hispanics said they expect the country to experience good business conditions, a decline from 61% in the prior quarter; and 64% of Hispanics indicated they will be better off over the next year, down from 70% in the last quarter of 2024.
In terms of the long-run economic outlook of the country, Hispanics are less optimistic in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the fourth quarter of 2024 (52% vs. 58%).
Only 51% of Hispanics think it is a good time to buy big-ticket items, compared to 52% in the last quarter of 2024.
Only one question had an increase in confidence: 63% of Hispanics said they are better off financially than a year ago, which is 8 percentage points (55%) higher than the last quarter of 2024.
“Sentiment softened in four of the five questions this quarter,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., chair and director of BEPI. “Persistently high borrowing costs and everyday price pressures – together with talk of new tariffs and a possible recession – are weighing on household outlooks. These headwinds are keeping many Hispanic families cautious about the economic outlook in the United States.”
The poll is based on a sample of 542 Hispanic adults over 18 years old. The survey was administered using both landlines via Interactive Voice Response data collection and online data collection using Dynata. Respondents were sampled between Jan. 1 and March 31 with a margin of error of +/- 4.21 percentage points. Responses for the entire sample were weighted to reflect the national distribution of the Hispanic population by region, education, gender, age and income according to the latest American Community Survey data. Full results can be found here.
-FAU-
Latest Research
- New FAU-USF Research Rewrites Origins of the World's First PandemicFor the first time, FAU-USF researchers have found direct genomic evidence of the Plague of Justinian in the Eastern Mediterranean, where the world's first recorded pandemic began nearly 1,500 years ago.
- FAU Tells 'Story' of Atlantic's Sargassum Surge Using 40 Years of DataFAU Harbor Branch's landmark review reveals 40 years of change in pelagic sargassum - its growth, drivers and rising biomass across the North Atlantic, impacting the ocean's vital ecosystem.
- FAU Engineering Celebrates Journal of Big Data's Decade of ExcellenceCo-founded by FAU College of Engineering and Computer Science faculty, the Journal of Big Data stands as a world-leading publication, ranked No. 1 globally among peer journals and conferences in the domain.
- FAU Engineering Ph.D. Student Dan Zimmerman Awarded DoD ScholarshipFAU Ph.D. student Dan Zimmerman has been awarded the prestigious U.S. Department of Defense Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Scholarship.
- Do No Harm: Rethinking Diabetes, Hypertension in Frail Older AdultsOvertreating diabetes and hypertension in older adults is causing preventable harm. An FAU expert urges better support for providers to prioritize safer, individualized care and prevent avoidable complications.
- Healing Takes a 'Toll' and How Mental Health Providers Cope MattersA study of 172 clinicians examined how coping styles influence the link between mental health providers' sense of control and their professional well-being across private and community practice settings.