FAU Poll: Housing Concerns Temper Hispanic Consumer Confidence
Hispanic consumers are mixed about the economy, despite a slight uptick in overall optimism, according to a new poll from Florida Atlantic University’s Business Economic and Polling Initiative.
Hispanic consumers are mixed about the economy, despite a slight uptick in overall optimism, according to a new poll from Florida Atlantic University’s Business Economic and Polling Initiative.
The Hispanic Consumer Sentiment Index (HCSI) rose to 76.01 in the second quarter of 2026, up slightly from 73.94 in the first quarter.
The changes are mixed across the five components of the index, with improved expectations for personal finances but slightly weaker views on business conditions and major purchases among Hispanic households.
Nearly 52% of Hispanics surveyed said they were worse off than a year ago and 54% expect the country to experience bad times financially in the year ahead. However, 67% of Hispanics expect to be better off in the next year, up from 58% in the first quarter of the year.
“Hispanic consumers are clearly feeling some relief, particularly in terms of their expectations for the economy,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., chair of the department of economics in FAU’s College of Business. “The improvement coincided with easing gasoline prices and the temporary de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East late in the quarter, which may have helped lift consumer confidence. While geopolitical developments have since become more uncertain, any resulting effects on energy prices could influence consumer sentiment in future surveys.”
Regarding the short-term economic outlook for business conditions at the time of the last poll, 45% anticipate good conditions in the year ahead, down from 47% in the first quarter.
For the long-term economic outlook, 48% of Hispanics expect good financial times in the next five years, down from 49% in the prior year. About 52% of those surveyed expect the country to experience bad business conditions in the next five years.
Only 42% say it is a good time to buy big-ticket household items, unchanged from the first quarter but down from 48% in the fourth quarter of 2025.
“Housing remains the missing piece in recovery,” Escaleras said. “Since homeownership remains one of the primary ways Hispanic families build wealth, the continued weakness in housing sentiment is a warning sign.”
The results are based on a survey of 514 Hispanic adults (age 18 and older) between April 1 and June 30. Data was collected via online surveys through RepData. The margin of error is ±4.32 percentage points. Responses were weighted to reflect the national Hispanic population by region, education, gender, age, and income using the latest American Community Survey data. Full results and cross-tabulations are available here.
-FAU-
Tags: business