The Empowerment of US Hispanics
Today, persons of Hispanic descent account for about 10% of the population in the United States of America. Demographic projections suggest that this percentage will continue to climb in the years to come. In the calculus of politics, this would make Hispanics a potentially influential special interest group. But before that can happen, Hispanics will have to demonstrate that they can act as a group. Some of the important questions are:
We will address a couple of these issues by drawing on some research data taken from the Total Audience Survey conducted by Magazine Metrics in 1997. This is a mail survey of over 18,000 adults (age 18+) drawn as a representative of the total population in USA.
The first step towards empowerment must spring from within the person. The person must believe in herself/himself to have the power within. Materialist dialectics holds that external causes are merely the condition of change whereas the internal causes are the basis of change. In response to the question, "I believe that I can make a difference in the world", 57% of all adults in the USA replied "Agree strongly/agree somewhat" and 55% of Hispanics replied the same. These numbers are not statistically significant for these sample sizes. In the following tables, we show the demographic breakdowns:
% Agree strongly/agree somewhat with the statement "I believe that I can make a difference in the world"
| Demographic Category/Class | % of Total USA adults | % of Hispanics |
| Sex Male Female |
59% 54% |
54% 57% |
| Age 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65 or more |
56% 64% 57% 57% 45% |
55% 58% 54% 61% 51% |
| Highest education level achieved Less than high school High school graduate Some college College graduate Post-graduate |
44% 54% 59% 60% 60% |
48% 51% 57% 58% 59% |
| Annual household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 - $29,999 $30,000 - $39,999 $40,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $124,999 $125,000 or more |
42% 54% 57% 60% 62% 65% 66% 68% |
36% 48% 61% 62% 62% 66% 67% 67% |
(source: Total Audience Survey, Magazine Metrics)
When we compare the Hispanics against the general population , we see the same general tendencies. The sense of self-power depends on age, educational level and income in the same manner. The only odd piece is the gender gap is reversed within Hispanics, although the differences are not very large. The largest gap occurs for poorer Hispanics.
Of course, self-confidence is insufficient to wrought change in itself. External circumstances have to be considered too. If a single person cannot cause major change by himself/herself, then perhaps a group of people with a unified agenda can. In a country with a democratic electoral system, a minority group can wield significant power as a voting bloc. This implies participation in the electoral process, with due attention to the significant issues that affect the group's interests.
In response to the statement, "When it comes to issues of local or national concern, I consider myself aware and involved", 48% of adults in the USA said that they 'agree strongly' or 'agree somewhat'. By comparison, 53% of US Hispanics said the same. In the table below, we show the demographic breakdowns.
% Agree strongly/agree somewhat with the
statement "When it comes to issues of local or national concern,
I consider myself aware and involved"
| Demographic Category/Class | % of Total USA adults | % of Hispanics |
| Sex Male Female |
53% 43% |
57% 50% |
| Age 18-24 25-34 35-49 50-64 65 or more |
43% 48% 50% 51% 53% |
33% 51% 62% 66% 42% |
| Highest education level achieved Less than high school High school graduate Some college College graduate Post-graduate |
34% 43% 52% 58% 65% |
42% 53% 55% 62% 68% |
| Annual household income Less than $20,000 $20,000 - $29,999 $30,000 - $39,999 $40,000 - $49,999 $50,000 - $74,999 $75,000 - $99,999 $100,000 - $124,999 $125,000 or more |
34% 47% 47% 48% 53% 60% 59% 60% |
43% 48% 51% 51% 54% 58% 64% 70% |
(source: Total Audience Survey, Magazine Metrics)
By sex, education and income, the Hispanics show the same patterns as the general population. By age group, young Hispanics (age 18-24) and old Hispanics (age 65 or older) lag behind their counterparts in the general population considerably.
WWW REFERENCES
REFERENCE
(posted by Roland Soong on 10/23/99)
(Return to Zona Latina's Home Page)