HispanicBusiness

A recently released research study from The Media Audit, which surveyed almost 10,000 Hispanics in 85 U.S. markets, notes that the Hispanic communities in the metro markets sampled are distinctly different. The Hispanic communities in New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Houston reflect a variety of countries and cultures.

Much of the study's analysis, however, represents collective culture.

Young Hispanics overall are graduating from college in far greater numbers than in preceding generations. Some 14.3% of urban Hispanic adults, 18 to 34, have annual household incomes of $50,000 or more. The comparable percentage for Caucasians is 12.7, for African Americans 12.3, and for the general population 13.6%. The 18-to-34 age group accounts for approximately 51% of the adult Hispanic population in this survey, and 41% of Hispanics with degrees are in that age group, which is the fastest-growing segment of the Hispanic population in the markets studied.

According to the survey, Hispanics lose ground in both affluence and education in older age groups. Only 4.6% of Hispanics age 50 or older have annual household incomes of $50,000 or more, while the percentage among the general adult population is 11.6%. Among Caucasians it is 14.3%, and among African Americans it is 7.3%.

Although only 8.3% of Hispanics surveyed are employed in professional/technical occupations, 46.3% of that group are 18 to 34. In the proprietor/managerial occupations the picture is similar: 13.3% of all Hispanics are in this group, and among them, 50% are 18 to 34.

The Hispanic community is a distinctive group. Hispanics don't read the front-page section of newspapers as regularly as the general population (35.8% vs. 51.4%), but their readership of the sports section is similar (24.8% vs. 28.7%). They are somewhat more inclined to read the classified ad section (12% vs.10%). They watch sporting events on television and they watch soccer and boxing more often than the general adult population. They are more likely to read direct mail advertising than the general population, and they listen to radio during the week almost as much as the general population does. They are more likely to buy vans, trucks, or sport utility vehicles than cars.

In politics, too, Hispanics reveal a unique profile. While the Anglo population in the study was split almost evenly among Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, 65% of African Americans tilted strongly to the Democrats, with 22.4% described as Independent and just 4% Republican. Among the Hispanics surveyed, 42% said they were Democrats, almost 30% said they were Independent, and 13.5% said they were Republicans.

"Overall," says Bob Jordan, cochairman of the 30-year-old firm that produces The Media Audit, "the research reveals a culturally diverse segment of our population which is growing rapidly and is just beginning to earn the attention it deserves from marketers." According to the U.S. Census, the Hispanic population has grown 58% in the past ten years.

Read more about this report at www.themediaaudit.com