Uncovering an Economy of Sacrifice

As the price of groceries, gas, and housing continue to climb, the gap between what people earn and what it costs to survive in America keeps widening. People across the country are facing growing financial pressure, and for many, the idea of the American dream feels further away than ever before. Voto Latino, a civic engagement organization that educates and empowers a new generation of Latino voters while building Latino political power at large, saw an opportunity to better understand how growing economic challenges impact Latino communities and which solutions Latino voters support heading into the 2026 midterm elections.

Through a partnership with Murmuration, they drew upon our years of experience as a leading resource on civic life. Murmuration used Civic Pulse, our daily survey initiative that analyzes thousands of open-ended responses every week, to design and field a custom survey in collaboration with Voto Latino. It captured responses from 6,000+ people, including over 2,000 Hispanic adults—making it one of the most meaningful national surveys of Latinos.The survey revealed one of the most comprehensive looks to date at how rising costs are shaping financial realities for many. The findings indicated that the scale of the struggle is widespread across the country–and in particular, among Latino families. Only 8% of Latinos report living comfortably, compared to 11% of Americans overall, and just 31% of Latinos say they could cover a $500 emergency, compared to 48% of Americans who say they could manage the same. Additionally, the data indicated that cost-of-living relief—such as property tax relief, utility bill assistance, first-time homebuyer support, limited rent increases, minimum wage increases, and student debt relief—tops the list of solutions that voters support.

Beyond surfacing the scale of financial strain facing Latino families, the in-depth national survey of Latinos helped demonstrate that rising costs are not only shaping day-to-day financial realities—they’re also influencing how Latino voters think about leadership, accountability, and policy priorities. The findings underscored that Latino voters are looking for practical, immediate solutions to rising costs, giving Voto Latino a strong foundation for advocacy, storytelling, and public engagement heading into the 2026 midterm elections. Voto Latino brought these insights to a wider audience through national media coverage on MSNBC, La Nación, Prensa Latina, La Opinión, and Reuters, as well as through its own platforms. By sharing the findings from this national survey of Latinos and other adults, the organization is ensuring the economic experiences and priorities of the communities it serves remain front and center in the public conversation.

“The economic pressures facing Latino families and working-class Americans have reached a breaking point, and our partnership with Murmuration has given us an unprecedented window into the challenges communities are experiencing every day,” said Beatriz Lopez, Executive Director of Voto Latino. “Through Murmuration's Civic Pulse survey data, we see a clear picture of families being forced to make impossible choices—cutting back on groceries, delaying medical care, and sacrificing everyday necessities just to keep up with rising housing, utility, and transportation costs.

This partnership has strengthened Voto Latino's ability to identify where engagement is needed most and ensure our resources are reaching the communities that need them. As we look toward the 2026 midterms, these insights will help guide our voter registration, community outreach, civic engagement, and voter mobilization efforts, ensuring Latino voters have the information, resources, and support they need to make their voices heard and hold leaders accountable.”

Explore the findings in detail and download the full findings.