Latinos Turned to YouTube, WhatsApp for Election Information

As Vice President Kamala Harris and Trump increasingly bypassed mainstream news organizations this election cycle, so too did many Latino voters. The growing demographic group turns to social media for news more than other demographic groups, research shows.

The Boston Globe reports there are many reasons for the trend. Latinos in the United States tend to be younger and more online than the population at large. And while a majority of Latinos consume their news in English, many — particularly immigrants who primarily speak Spanish — often turn to social outlets where they can easily get information in their native language.

The messages conveyed by Spanish-language political creators on social media are varied, and many legacy outlets such as Telemundo and Univision also have large audiences there. But Spanish-speaking voters who spoke to the Globe said Trump’s economic message came through clearly in the videos they watched — perhaps because issues such as inflation were top-of-mind this year.

Despite Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric, he made gains with Latinos — a traditionally Democratic-leaning demographic — in large part because of his message about improving the economy.

Roberta Braga, executive director of the D.C.-based Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas, said disinformation coincides with a broader increase in polarization and decline in trust in institutions. Braga’s organization conducted two Latino-focused polls this year and found that only scientists and neighbors were seen by both liberals and conservatives as the closest to being trustworthy.

“Latinos who believe disinformation the most tend to consume podcasts, they use Twitter/X and YouTube, they engage a lot with ideological, hyperpartisan media, they tend to identify as first-generation Latinos and as Republicans, and they watch cable news outlets like Fox News,” Braga said.