Why Hispanic Americans are losing faith in the American Dream

A Public Religion Research Institute survey of more than 5,000 adults found only 40% of Hispanic Americans now believe the American Dream holds true, down from 52% two years ago. The researcher who conducted the analysis found Trump's handling of immigration, weakened national pride, and concerns about democratic rights were all significantly linked to that decline.

Context includes surging ICE arrests of people with no criminal record and federal agents shooting at nearly two dozen people, mostly Latino, since last year, including two fatal shootings cited by the New York Times. Hispanic Americans' favorable views of Trump's immigration handling fell from 31% in 2025 to 19% in 2026, even as the share identifying as Republican has more than doubled since 2013.

National pride among Hispanic Americans dropped from 77% to 42% over roughly a decade, a steeper decline than the national average, and 56% now say they feel like strangers in their own country. Notably, party identification itself was not a statistically significant predictor of the belief, suggesting the erosion cuts across political lines.

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