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How Young Latinos Come of Age in America

Hispanics are the largest and youngest minority group in the United States. One- in-five schoolchildren is Hispanic. One-in-four newborns is Hispanic. Never before in this country’s history has a minority ethnic group made up so large a share of the youngest Americans. By force of numbers alone, the kinds of adults these young Latinos become will help shape the kind of society America becomes in the 21st century.

This report takes an in-depth look at Hispanics who are ages 16 to 25, a phase of life when young people make choices that — for better and worse — set their path to adulthood. For this particular ethnic group, it is also a time when they navigate the intricate, often porous borders between the two cultures they inhabit — American and Latin American.

The report explores the attitudes, values, social behaviors, family characteristics, economic well-being, educational attainment and labor force outcomes of these young Latinos. It is based on a new Pew Hispanic Center telephone survey of a nationally representative sample of 2,012 Latinos, supplemented by the Pew Hispanic Center’s analysis of government demographic, economic, education and health data sets.

The data paint a mixed picture. Young Latinos are satisfied with their lives, optimistic about their futures and place a high value on education, hard work and career success. Yet they are much more likely than other American youths to drop out of school and to become teenage parents. They are more likely than white and Asian youths to live in poverty. And they have high levels of exposure to gangs.

These are attitudes and behaviors that, through history, have often been associated with the immigrant experience. But most Latino youths are not immigrantsTwo-thirds were born in the United States, many of them descendants of the big, ongoing wave of Latin American immigrants who began coming to this country around 1965.

As might be expected, they do better than their foreign-born counterparts on many key economic, social and acculturation indicators analyzed in this report. They are much more proficient in English and are less likely to drop out of high school, live in poverty or become a teen parent.

But on a number of other measures, U.S.-born Latino youths do no better than the foreign born. And on some fronts, they do worse.

For example, native-born Latino youths are about twice as likely as the foreign born to have ties to a gang or to have gotten into a fight or carried a weapon in the past year. They are also more likely to be in prison.

The picture becomes even more murky when comparisons are made among youths who are first generation (immigrants themselves), second generation (U.S.-born children of immigrants) and third and higher generation (U.S.-born grandchildren or more far-removed descendants of immigrants).1

For example, teen parenthood rates and high school drop-out rates are much lower among the second generation than the first, but they appear higher among the third generation than the second. The same is true for poverty rates.

Identity and Assimilation

Throughout this nation’s history, immigrant assimilation has always meant something more than the sum of the sorts of economic and social measures outlined above. It also has a psychological dimension. Over the course of several generations, the immigrant family typically loosens its sense of identity from the old country and binds it to the new.

It is too soon to tell if this process will play out for today’s Hispanic immigrants and their offspring in the same way it did for the European immigrants of the 19th and early 20th centuries. But whatever the ultimate trajectory, it is clear that many of today’s Latino youths, be they first or second generation, are straddling two worlds as they adapt to the new homeland.

According to the Pew Hispanic Center’s National Survey of Latinos, more than half (52%) of Latinos ages 16 to 25 identify themselves first by their family’s country of origin, be it Mexico, Cuba, the Dominican Republican, El Salvador or any of more than a dozen other Spanish-speaking countries. An additional 20% generally use the terms “Hispanic” or “Latino” first when describing themselves. Only about one-in-four (24%) generally use the term “American” first.

Among the U.S.-born children of immigrants, “American” is somewhat more commonly used as a primary term of self-identification. Even so, just 33% of these young second generation Latinos use American first, while 21% refer to themselves first by the terms Hispanic or Latino, and the plurality — 41% — refer to themselves first by the country their parents left in order to settle and raise their children in this country.

Only in the third and higher generations do a majority of Hispanic youths (50%) use “American” as their first term of self-description.

Immigration in Historical Perspective

Measured in raw numbers, the modern Latin American-dominated immigration wave is by far the largest in U.S. history. Nearly 40 million immigrants have come to the United States since 1965. About half are from Latin America, a quarter from Asia and the remainder from Europe, Canada, the Middle East and Africa. By contrast, about 14 million immigrants came during the big Northern and Western European immigration wave of the 19th century and about 18 million came during the big Southern and Eastern European-dominated immigration wave of the early 20th century.2

However, the population of the United States was much smaller during those earlier waves. When measured against the size of the U.S. population during the period when the immigration occurred, the modern wave’s average annual rate of 4.6 new immigrants per 1,000 population falls well below the 7.7 annual rate that prevailed in the mid- to late 19th century and the 8.8 rate at the beginning of the 20th century.

All immigration waves produce backlashes of one kind or another, and the latest one is no exception. Illegal immigration, in particular, has become a highly-charged political issue in recent times. It is also a relatively new phenomenon; past immigration waves did not generate large numbers of illegal immigrants because the U.S. imposed fewer restrictions on immigration flow in the past than it does now.

The current wave may differ from earlier waves in other ways as well. More than a few immigration scholars have voiced skepticism that the children and grandchildren of today’s Hispanic immigrants will enjoy the same upward mobility experienced by the offspring of European immigrants in previous centuries.3

Their reasons vary, and not all are consistent with one another. Some scholars point to structural changes in modern economies that make it more difficult for unskilled laborers to climb into the middle class. Some say the illegal status of so many of today’s immigrants is a major obstacle to their upward mobility. Some say the close proximity of today’s sending countries and the relative ease of modern global communication reduce the felt need of immigrants and their families to acculturate to their new country. Some say the fatalism of Latin American cultures is a poor fit in a society built on Anglo-Saxon values. Some say that America’s growing tolerance for cultural diversity may encourage modern immigrants and their offspring to retain ethnic identities that were seen by yesterday’s immigrants as a handicap. (The melting pot is dead. Long live the salad bowl.) Alternatively, some say that Latinos’ brown skin makes assimilation difficult in a country where white remains the racial norm.

It will probably take at least another generation’s worth of new facts on the ground to know whether these theories have merit. But it is not too soon to take some snapshots and lay down some markers. This report does so by assembling a wide range of empirical evidence (some generated by our own new survey; some by our analysis of government data) and subjecting it to a series of comparisons: between Latinos and non-Latinos; between young Latinos and older Latinos; between foreign-born Latinos and native-born Latinos; and between first, second, and third and higher generations of Latinos.

The generational analyses presented here do not compare the outcomes of individual Latino immigrants with those of their own children or grandchildren. Instead, our generational analysis compares today’s young Latino immigrants with today’s children and grandchildren of yesterday’s immigrants. As such, the report can provide some insights into the intergenerational mobility of an immigrant group over time. But it cannot fully disentangle the many factors that may help explain the observed patterns-be they compositional effects (the different skills, education levels and other forms of human capital that different cohorts of immigrants bring) or period effects (the different economic conditions that confront immigrants in different time periods).

Readers should be especially careful when interpreting findings about the third and higher generation, for this is a very diverse group. We estimate that about 40% are the grandchildren of Latin American immigrants, while the remainder can trace their roots in this country much farther back in time.

For some in this mixed group, endemic poverty and its attendant social ills have been a part of their families, barrios and colonias for generations, even centuries. Meantime, others in the third and higher generation have been upwardly mobile in ways consistent with the generational trajectories of European immigrant groups. Because the data we use in this report do not allow us to separate out the different demographic sub-groups within the third and higher generation, the overall numbers we present are averages that often mask large variances within this generation.

Source: Pew Hispanic Center

SABEResPODER & Best Buy Promote Informed Shopping Decisions

The initiative aims at educating the Latino community on how best to take advantage of the technology at their reach.

Best Buy unites with SABEResPODER to educate the Hispanic community about how to get the most out of the latest technology and understand their rights as consumers.

Various studies show that Latinos purchase more televisions, digital cameras, cell phones, and computers than the average population. However, Raul P. Lomeli-Azoubel, Executive Chairman for SABEResPODER, said that, “the statistics also reveal a different reality: the technological advances, that serve to make our lives easier, are not being used to their full potential.”

For this reason, SABEResPODER, with Best Buy’s support, has published an educational guide about “New Technologies” with the main objective of sharing vital information, so that consumers can learn more about their options.

The educational campaign also includes an informative video on the subject and workshops that will be offered to community groups. The goal of the initiative is to promote smarter, more informed, consumer electronic shopping, and help the community purchase products that actually meet their specific needs.

“Our knowledgeable, non-commission sales specialists are trained specifically to help our customers find the right product solution to best fit their individual needs,” says Marco Orozco from Best Buy. “We believe our sales specialists’ primary role is to listen to the needs of our customers and then inform and educate them on their product options.”

The initiative was presented during a community event at the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles, where Consul General Juan Marcos Gutierrez congratulated SABEResPODER for this campaign focused on educating the community and empowering them to make informed purchasing decisions. The Consul General also made the following recommendation to the audience: “remember to first educate yourself on your options in order to avoid mistakes that are caused by impulse shopping.”

The recurring theme at the event was for consumers to make informed purchases to ensure that technology delivers on its promises; and to learn how technology can improve the quality of life in a digital world.
About SABEResPODER, Inc.

SABEResPODER provides corporations, agencies and non-profit entities with powerful and exclusive educational media solutions for gaining incremental customers while assisting Spanish-dominant consumers to become more informed, confident and active consumers and participants in American society. SABEResPODER is a targeted Spanish-language multimedia network reaching Spanish dominant consumers at a key transition point when they are actively pursuing resources to further establish their lives in the United States. For more information about SABEResPODER, visit www.saberespoder.com.

About Best Buy Co., Inc.

With operations in the United States, Canada, Europe, China and Mexico, Best Buy is a multinational retailer of technology and entertainment products and services with a commitment to growth and innovation. Approximately 155,000 employees apply their talents to help bring the benefits of these brands to life for customers through retail locations, multiple call centers and Web sites, in-home solutions, product delivery and activities in our communities. Community partnership is central to the way we do business at Best Buy. In fiscal 2009, Best Buy donated a combined $33.4 million to improve the vitality of the communities where their employees and customers live and work. For more information about Best Buy, visit www.bestbuy.com

SOURCE SABEResPODER

Hispanic Scholarship Fund P&G Pledges $1.5MM

Scholarship applications now available until Feb. 2010

Procter & Gamble (P&G) and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) are pleased to announce that P&G is awarding $1.5 million under the company’s Live, Learn and Thrive(TM) global cause to support HSF, the leading Hispanic organization devoted to awarding university scholarships. The grant will be provided over the next four years to support scholarships to increase participation from Hispanics in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) areas, as well as sponsoring educational outreach programs.

This contribution will help award 192, $2,500 scholarships to eligible Hispanic students nationwide in the next four years. Thanks to the support of companies like Procter & Gamble, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund has given over 90,000 scholarships to students in need worth over $250 million in the past 34 years. Two-thirds of these students were the first in their families to go to college.

“Through the Live, Learn and Thrive Scholarship program, P&G is enabling a cadre of academically talented, low income, first in family to attend college students complete an important new step in realizing the American dream. And, by focusing on STEM majors, P&G is strategically investing in future career paths destined to assure continued success and leadership of our country in this ever competitive global economy. We salute P&G and the scholars!” said Frank D. Alvarez, HSF President and CEO.

While Hispanics are the largest ethnic minority in the United States, they unfortunately are not keeping up when it comes to educational attainment: according to HSF, Latinos have the lowest high school and college completion rates of any racial or ethnic group, registering a 23.8 percent high school dropout rate, the highest of any major racial or ethnic group (ages 16 to 24), compared to 7 percent for non-Hispanic whites. Moreover, as per data from the Census report Educational Attainment in the United States: 2008, out of the total population, only 13 percent of Hispanics 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree, as per data from the report.

In addition, data from the study, “Confronting the ‘New’ American Dilemma, Underrepresented Minorities in Engineering: A Data-Based Look at Diversity,” from the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME) reveals that the number of minority students pursuing STEM degrees and careers has flattened out or even declined in recent years: out of the 6,404 doctoral degrees in engineering awarded in 2006, only 98 went to Latinos and Latinas.

Following its commitment to advance the Hispanic community, P&G has been a long-standing corporate partner of HSF for over 30 years and has donated more than $3,000,000 to help educate future Hispanic leaders. Under its global Live, Learn and Thrive(TM) cause, P&G aims to contribute to the success of Hispanic students and even make higher education a more realistic goal by helping build a pool of exceptional talent and empowering possible future employees, who will continue to enhance the company’s dedication to cater to the needs of its consumers.

“At P&G, we believe in having a workforce and business partners that reflect the markets and consumers that we serve, and to fully value and learn from all of their experiences, insights and talents so we can meaningfully improve the lives of our communities. As part of our efforts to improve life for children and youth, we’re proud to make this Live, Learn and Thrive(TM) grant in recognition of the programs HSF delivers on behalf of Hispanic students,” said Edgar Sandoval, P&G’s General Manager, North America Marketing.

Sandoval, a former recipient of an HSF scholarship while he was pursuing his engineering degree, was inducted into the prestigious Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) Alumni Hall of Fame as the “Inspirador” (the motivator), in recognition of his personal achievements and the hard work and sacrifice made in pursuit of a college education. His scholastic success testifies to the great positive impact that an HSF scholarship can have in a student’s life.

This year’s Alumni Hall of Fame Gala took place in New York on Sept. 30th, and was hosted by Natalie Morales, NBC’s “Today” Co-Host and National Correspondent. Created in 2002, the HSF Alumni Hall of Fame honors Hispanics who demonstrate the power of higher education and highlights how attaining a college degree can change individual lives and society as a whole for the better. As an inductee, Sandoval will join a select group of Latino professionals who have been recognized, including former Surgeon General Richard Carmona, U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza and Time Warner Vice President Lisa Quiroz.

HSF’s scholarship application period is now open and will run until Feb. 28th, 2010. General application requirements include having a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA and be pursuing or planning to pursue their first undergraduate or graduate program. For more information on how to apply for these scholarships, please visit www.hsf.net

About the Hispanic Scholarship Fund

Founded in 1975 as a not-for-profit, the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF) is the nation’s preeminent Latino scholarship organization, providing the Latino community more college scholarships and educational outreach support than any other organization in the country. During the 2007-2008 academic year, HSF awarded almost 4,100 scholarships exceeding $26.7 million. In its 33-year history, HSF has awarded in excess of 86,000 scholarships, worth more than $247 million, to Latinos attending nearly 2,000 colleges and universities in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For a scholarship application or more information about HSF, please visit: WWW.HSF.NET.

About Procter & Gamble and Live, Learn and Thrive.

Three billion times a day, P&G brands touch the lives of people around the world. The company has one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Pampers®, Tide®, Ariel®, Always®, Whisper®, Pantene®, Mach3®, Bounty®, Dawn®, Gain®, Pringles®, Charmin®, Downy®, Lenor®, Iams®, Crest®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun® and Fusion®. The P&G community includes approximately 138,000 employees working in over 80 countries worldwide. In these countries and beyond, P&G is committed to improving lives for children in need through its global cause, Live, Learn and Thrive. Every day P&G Live, Learn and Thrive(TM) is helping children get off to a healthy start, receive access to education, and build skills for life. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G, its brands, and Live, Learn and Thrive.

SOURCE Procter & Gamble

1st-Ever Sears National Hispanic Heritage Month Initiative

Introduces new bilingual social networking site for students and parents

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Sept. 15 /PRNewswire/ — Inspired by the many Hispanic families who help their children become the first to attend college, Sears Holdings has launched the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) and bilingual, social networking education website in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15).

In Spanish, “primero” means “first”. The PRIMERO scholarship awards up to $10,000 toward college costs for those who are “first” in their family to attend college, as well as those continuing the family’s tradition of attaining a higher education. In addition to applying for the scholarship, students and their parents can also learn about the college planning process via the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) site — www.shcprimerobeca.com. SHC also offers a scholarship to associates of Sears, Kmart, Lands’ End and Orchard Supply Hardware.

With more than 46 million Hispanics now living in the U.S. and more than 132 million expected by 2050*, the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) education initiative is one of the ways Sears Holdings is reaching out to the Hispanic community. Sears recently launched a fully Spanish-translated website, espanol.sears.com, giving Spanish-speaking customers full access to its wide range of home appliances, electronics and computers, outdoor living, lawn and garden, and tools. Product names and navigation are also translated in other categories, allowing our customers to browse our websites in whichever language best meets their needs.

“We are excited to launch the SHC PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) and education website in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month,” said Nydia J. Sahagun, director, multicultural marketing, Sears Holdings Corporation. “This new initiative is a great way to support education, while providing information and resources for college-bound students and their parents in an engaging and interactive way.”

*2009 U.S. Census Bureau

The PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) website is Sears Holdings’ first corporate social networking site focused on education. The website is a one-stop online destination for college planning, featuring special sections to demystify the process:

— Why College – Outlines the benefits of going to college while busting myths versus facts about college

— The Plan – Tells you what to do first to start planning for college, no matter where you are in the process

— The Search – Details the types of colleges you can choose from while helping you find a match with the type of college that best fits you

— The Process – Gives you a monthly “to-do” list, checklist and information on college application requirements and on how to apply

— The Money – Provides information on typical tuition costs and how to navigate through financial aid

— At College – Offers tips for success once in college

— Blogs – Give first-hand tips from real college students on what to expect when applying for or attending college

According to Diverseeducation.com, although 98% of Hispanic high school students want to attend college, only 25% of college-aged Hispanics (18-24) are enrolled. This low attendance rate is attributed to many factors including lack of experience, resources and available/understandable information in many Hispanic communities. The PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) and website aims to close the informational gap for Hispanics.

“We commend Sears Holdings for providing scholarship opportunities, especially during a time when a large emerging population is primarily Hispanic,” said Antonio Flores, president and CEO of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU). “The reality is that without programs like PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM), attaining a higher education would not be possible for many Hispanics.

No purchase is necessary. Void in Maine and where prohibited. High school and college students from all ethnic backgrounds who are residents of the 50 United States (except ME), plus the District of Columbia, and are between the ages of 16 and 22, inclusive with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (or the equivalent) are encouraged to apply for the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM). Awards include a scholarship for college worth up to $10,000 (1 winner), up to $5,000 (1 winner) or up to $2,500 (2 winners), or one of 10 Sears-Kmart ‘Back to Campus” kits, valued at $250 each. Entries must be received or postmarked by October 15, 2009, at 11:59 p.m. EST. For Official Rules, go to www.shcprimerobeca.com/es/apply-now/rules (Spanish) or www.shcprimerobeca.com/en/apply-now/rules (English). For more information on the PRIMERO Hispanic Heritage Scholarship(SM) or college preparation, visit www.shcprimerobeca.com. For more information on Sears and Kmart, visit www.sears.com or www.kmart.com. Sponsor: Sears Holdings Corporation, 3333 Beverly Road, Hoffman Estates, IL 60179.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation’s fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, home electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands’ End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has Martha Stewart Everyday products, which are offered exclusively in the U.S. by Kmart. We are the nation’s largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings’ website at www.searsholdings.com.

Source: Sears Holdings Corporation

Snacking differences between Hispanics, general population

Snacking Differences: Hispanic Parents More Likely to Reward Kids with Snacks

Study highlights snacking differences between Hispanics, general population

Study highlights snacking differences between Hispanics, general population

Dipped, topped or eaten plain, America loves snacks. But new research from Mintel shows that not all Americans snack the same. Hispanics, the fastest growing population in the US, differ significantly in their snacking habits.
Hispanic adults are twice as likely as non-Hispanics to reward their children’s good behavior with salty snacks (41% versus 19%). But salty snack consumption among Hispanic adults is low, possibly due to traditional food preferences. Of five snacks-potato chips, pretzels, popcorn, nuts and corn/tortilla chips/cheese snacks-only 65% of Hispanics report eating three or more regularly (versus 80% of the general population).

Other key snacking differences findings

  • Hispanics emphasize mealtime, with snacks often perceived as appetite-spoilers. Mintel found Hispanics more interested in packages with ’small portions’ than the general population
  • Frozen snack usage is extremely low among less acculturated Hispanics, but more acculturated Hispanics eat them at the same rate as other Americans
  • Hispanic children show higher preference for healthy snacks like yogurt, cheese, raw veggies and nuts than non-Hispanic children

’Manufacturers need to understand that Hispanic’s eating habits are not the same as the general population’s,’ explains Leylha Ahuile, multicultural expert at Mintel. ’Even among Hispanics, we see huge variety in snacking, eating and drinking tendencies.’ Ahuile emphasizes the importance of not viewing Hispanics as one homogenous group. ’Understanding acculturation and how Hispanics differ from one another is key for companies hoping to tap into this rapidly growing market.’

Source: http://www.mintel.com