Ahead of Mexico’s first-ever judicial elections, most Mexicans approve of the law that implemented them

As Mexicans head to the polls in the country’s first-ever judicial elections, two-thirds approve of a 2024 law requiring all judges to be elected by popular vote.

In addition, President Claudia Sheinbaum, former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and their left-leaning Morena party are widely popular, according to a Pew Research Center survey conducted from Feb. 12 to March 25, 2025.

How we did this

This Pew Research Center analysis explores Mexicans’ views of the 2024 constitutional change that requires all judges and magistrates to be elected by popular vote. It also looks at Mexicans’ views of major political figures and political parties.

The data is from a survey of 1,050 Mexican adults conducted face-to-face from Feb. 12 to March 25, 2025. Interviews were conducted in Spanish. The survey is weighted to be representative of the Mexican adult population by gender, age, education, region, urbanicity and the probability of selection of the respondent. It is part of a larger Pew Research Center survey of public opinion in 25 countries conducted in spring 2025.

Based on a question in our survey, we grouped people into two political categories: those who support the political parties that were governing at the federal level when the survey was fielded, and those who do not. In Mexico, the governing parties are the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM), the Labor Party (PT) and Morena.

Survey respondents who did not indicate support for any political party, or who declined to identify with one, were categorized as not supporting the government in power.

Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and the survey methodology.

Last September, a month before the end of his term, López Obrador signed a law mandating that all judges and magistrates in Mexico be elected rather than appointed. Though its passage sparked mass protests, 66% of Mexicans now say they approve of the policy, including 31% who strongly approve.

Approval of Mexico’s judicial change is linked to support for Morena and its alliance partners in last year’s election, the Labor Party (PT) and the Ecologist Green Party of Mexico (PVEM). Among those who support these groups, 76% approve of the policy, compared with 54% of nonsupporters.

Majorities across age groups approve of the policy, but approval is somewhat higher among younger adults. While 71% of Mexicans ages 18 to 34 and 68% of those 35 to 49 approve of the change, 60% of those ages 50 and older say the same.

Around eight-in-ten Mexicans also hold favorable views of Sheinbaum and López Obrador, colloquially known as AMLO. That includes four-in-ten or more who view them very favorably.

Both Sheinbaum and López Obrador get positive ratings across age groups, genders, education and income levels, and political ideologies. And 78% of Mexicans view the Morena party favorably.

Other major parties, however, receive mixed or more negative reviews. On balance, Mexicans view two of the parties in Sheinbaum’s rival alliance unfavorably: the National Action Party (PAN) and Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI). And Mexicans see Citizens’ Movement (MC), a center-left party, about as favorably as unfavorably.

Note: Here are the questions used for this analysis, along with responses, and the survey methodology.