The 2025 Hispanic Sentiment Study released this past Saturday noted that more than 48% of Latinos believe that the American Dream “is either disappearing or no longer exists,” a 13-point increase from 2023 and an 18-point increase from 2018.

More than two-thirds of Latinos (64%) say the United States is on the “wrong track,” while just 21% believe it is on the “right track.”

Other findings from the executive summary note that “an all-time high of 76.7%” of Latinos believe their community has influence, up from 33% in 2018.

“However, only 42% believe people in power actually consider their interests, a record low,” the study notes.

The following image shows the methodology of the 2025 study, along with those from 2023 and 2018:

“Over the past few years, the U.S. Latino community has experienced significant shifts in self-perception, societal integration, and expectations from various stakeholders, including brands, employers, and the government,” the beginning of the study’s background section says. “This comparative analysis is particularly crucial given the Hispanic community’s burgeoning economic powerhouse status, with the U.S. Latino GDP now ranking as the fifth-largest in the world. Despite this substantial contribution to the nation’s economic vitality and workforce expansion, initial findings suggest a striking paradox: a community increasingly skeptical about its ability to partake in the American Dream it so actively helps to build. This study is therefore grounded in the necessity to bridge the understanding gap between the Hispanic community’s self-realized power and the external perception and consideration it receives.”

The study urges policymakers, brands, and other stakeholders to bridge the perception gap by recognizing Latinos’ economic power and aligning actions with lived realities. It calls for rebuilding trust through transparency and authentic engagement, addressing cost-of-living concerns directly, and elevating representation in media and leadership to better reflect the community’s influence and contributions.

Here is the complete study, though three chapters are available only to members and not publicly accessible.

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A Bolivia Runoff: From the Associated Press, “A centrist lawmaker from a prominent political family, Sen. Rodrigo Paz, and a right-wing former president, Jorge ‘Tuto’ Quiroga, will face off in October after a first round of voting knocked out candidates allied with the nation’s long-dominant Movement Toward Socialism, or MAS, party.”

Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. Email him here.

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