FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
New Statewide Research Maps the Values, Pressures, and Political Power of Nevada’s Latino Voters
Survey of 692 registered Latino voters finds a community strained by the cost of living, wary of immigration enforcement, and far more confident in its collective power than its individual vote
NEVADA — August 6, 2026 — A comprehensive new study of Nevada’s registered Latino voters offers the fullest picture to date of what the state’s fastest-growing electorate values, worries about, and believes it can change. It finds a community squeezed by the cost of living, alarmed by immigration enforcement, and convinced that it holds real political power together as a group.
The research, conducted by Make the Road Nevada in partnership with Sojourn Strategies, Data for Social Good, and the Democracy & Power Innovation Fund, surveyed 692 registered Latino voters across Nevada in English and Spanish between March and April 2026 with a ±4.0% margin of error. In-depth conversations with respondents followed this survey. Alongside seven areas of public opinion, the study identifies four distinct profiles of Latino voters based on how they see their own power and their place in the country.
Among the findings:
60.8% name jobs and the economy or affordable housing as their single most important issue, and more say their finances got worse over the past year (36.2%) than better (25.2%).
57.8% find health insurance difficult to afford, and 74.6% say the government should not interfere with women’s reproductive health decisions.
83.2% call a clear path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants important, while fewer than a quarter (23.1%) support deporting all undocumented immigrants regardless of criminal record or time in the country.
80.8% say ICE enforcement has gone too far over the past six months, and 74.5% agree racial profiling is a concern in Nevada.
81.1% say helping other Latinos, even with no personal benefit, is what unifies the community, while 83.7% say being American is important to their identity.
55.5% believe the Latino community’s vote is powerful, compared with 46.2% who say the same about their own individual vote.
“This research shows a community that is engaged and hopeful. People are paying attention, talking with their families about voting, and believing that together we can change things. We are Nevada.”
— Blanca Macias, Executive Director, Make the Road Nevada
Economic pressure is the shared experience
Across every group surveyed, the cost of living was the unifying concern. Gas and transportation topped the list of expenses people struggle to afford (69.0%), followed by rent or mortgage payments (61.4%), health insurance (57.8%), and groceries (55.0%).
Participants in follow-up conversations described wages that no longer stretch. One Las Vegas resident recalled paying $900 for a three-bedroom condo that now rents for roughly three thousand.
Healthcare costs strain even the insured
Beyond the 57.8% who find health insurance hard to afford, participants described premiums climbing after switching providers, specialists ordering duplicate tests that add to the bill, and some traveling to Mexico for more affordable care, even while technically covered.
Enforcement, profiling, and belonging
The survey found broad support for an immigration system that works: a path to citizenship, resources to clear the citizenship application backlog (79.8%), and action against drug traffickers (82.2%) and human smugglers (75.1%), paired with strong opposition to indiscriminate deportation.
Concerns about profiling were widespread. Participants described being followed in stores, receiving hostile looks in public, having neighbors call the police on them, and being stopped by law enforcement.
At the same time, 83.7% said being American is important to their identity. A pride that coexists with a sense of conditional belonging that several participants summarized as “ni de aquí, ni de allá.” Neither from here nor there.
“People in this study are not asking for special treatment. They are asking to be able to pay rent, see a doctor, and walk through their own neighborhood without being treated like a suspect.”
— José Luis Bedolla, CEO, Data for Social Good
Four groups, four ways to engage
A cluster analysis grouped voters by how powerful they believe the community’s vote is and whether they feel like guests in this country, producing four distinct profiles:
Resistance Fighters (37.9%) — the largest group, skewing Gen Z, highly aware of profiling and confident in collective power.
Faithless (30.8%) — low trust in political, economic, and religious institutions; most likely to say the American Dream no longer exists.
Empowered (17.6%) — feel they belong, place the highest importance on American identity, and report the strongest sense of individual vote power.
Economic Strivers (13.7%) — the most educated group, focused on jobs and the economy, with the lowest perceived vote power.
What it means for 2026
With 58.7% of registered Nevada Latinos having voted in the 2024 General Election and 62.4% reporting they recently discussed politics with family or friends, the research points to a community that is engaged but under-activated, one that trusts collective action more than the individual ballot.
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About Make the Road Nevada
Make the Road Nevada is a community-based organization that builds the power of working-class Latino and immigrant communities across Nevada. Through grassroots organizing, leadership development, civic engagement, and services, Make the Road Nevada works alongside its members to win dignity, safety, and opportunity. From immigrant rights and workplace justice to affordable housing and access to healthcare. The organization is part of the national Make the Road network.
About Data for Social Good
Data for Social Good is a research and data organization dedicated to addressing the needs of a diverse electorate. Working in partnership with community organizations, advocacy groups, and civic institutions, Data for Social Good designs and fields original research, surveys, focus groups, and statistical analysis, and translates the findings into clear, accessible tools that communities can act on. Its work centers the voices of communities that are frequently undercounted and under-consulted in mainstream polling.
For more information, view the Make the Road Nevada: 2026 Latino Values research report.
Media Contact
Luis Garcia
Luis@dataforsocialgood.com