Report · Politics

Reports of cartel violence make would-be visitors less likely to travel to Mexico

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Reports of cartel-related violence are weighing on Americans' Mexico travel plans, a May 2026 Verasight survey finds. Nearly one-in-five Americans (18%) say they were considering visiting Mexico but are now less likely to go, while 12% were considering a trip and say their plans have not changed.

Six-in-ten (60%) were never planning to visit Mexico and still are not, and 10% say they are not familiar with the recent cartel-related reports.

Topline

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Topline distribution

Reports of cartel violence make would-be visitors less likely to travel to Mexico.

How have recent reports of cartel-related violence in Mexico affected your likelihood of traveling there for tourism?

  • I was never planning to visit Mexico and still am not 60.2%
  • I was considering visiting Mexico, but now I am less likely to go 17.9%
  • I was considering visiting Mexico, and my plans have not changed 12.0%
  • I am not familiar with recent cartel-related reports in Mexico 9.9%

2026 · base n 1,000 · +/- 3.3%

politics

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Methodology

Full methodology
Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
Field dates
2026-05-11 → 2026-05-11
Base (unweighted)
1,000
Margin of error
+/- 3.3%
Module
politics

Source

Citation

Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.

https://reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26

Verasight survey methodology

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Mode
Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting.
Population
US adults age 18+.
Sample design
Surveys are run as omnibus or single-topic waves. Omnibus waves are split into modules with their own respondent set, typically around one thousand respondents per module.
Field window
Each wave specifies its own field dates. Most omnibus waves field across roughly two weeks.
Weighting
Per-module weighting to CPS targets including age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, and metropolitan status.
Partisanship benchmark
Pew Research Center's NPORS benchmarking surveys, three-year running average.
Vote benchmark
2024 presidential vote population benchmarks.
Margin of error
Typically about plus or minus 3.4 to 3.6 percent per module at standard module sizes. Question-level MoE is recomputed when a base shrinks materially below the module baseline.
Reporting
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