About half of U.S. Latinos who do not speak Spanish have been shamed by other Latinos for it.
Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish: 75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. And most Latinos (85%) say it is at least somewhat important for future generations of Latinos in the United States to speak Spanish.
But not all Hispanics are Spanish speakers, and about half (54%) of non-Spanish-speaking Hispanics have been shamed by other Hispanics for not speaking Spanish. At the same time, 78% of U.S. Hispanics say it is not necessary to speak Spanish in order to be considered Hispanic.
American Latinos were asked about their views, attitudes, and experiences with the Spanish language. Here’s what the Pew Research Center study found:
- While most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish, not all do. 24% of all Latino adults say they can only carry on a conversation in Spanish a little or not at all. Among third- or higher-generation Latinos, a much higher share are not Spanish speakers: Close to two-thirds (65%) of third- or higher-generation Latinos say they cannot carry on a conversation well in Spanish.
- About half of U.S. Hispanics who do not speak Spanish have been shamed because of it. 54% of Hispanics who say they speak no more than a little Spanish say another Hispanic person has made them feel bad for it.
- Some Hispanics make jokes about those who do not speak Spanish. Four-in-ten Hispanic adults say they hear other Hispanics make jokes, extremely often or often, about Hispanics who do not speak Spanish or don’t speak it well.
- Spanglish use is widespread among U.S. Hispanics. 63% report speaking Spanglish, a combination of Spanish and English, at least sometimes.
Personal Hispanic identity is related to views about Spanish. U.S. Hispanics who consider their Hispanic identity to be extremely or very important to how they think about themselves are more likely than other Hispanics to say it’s important for future generations to speak Spanish. They are also more likely to say it is necessary for someone to speak Spanish in order to be considered Hispanic.
Speaking Spanish can be an important skill, a means of communication and a marker of identity for U.S. Latinos. The Spanish language is a source of pride for some, and many Latino parents encourage their U.S.-born children to speak it. Importantly, the United States has one of the world’s largest Spanish-speaking populations.
For this report, Pew Research Center surveyed a nationally representative sample of 3,029 U.S. Latino adults, in English and Spanish, from Aug. 1 to 14, 2022. Findings among the sample often differ by nativity, immigrant generation, age, educational attainment and language use.
Spanish speaking and its importance in Latino identity
Latino identity in the U.S. can be shaped by many factors. One of them is speaking Spanish, which some Latinos use to distinguish who is Latino from who is not. Yet most Latino adults (78%) say it is not necessary to speak Spanish to be considered Latino, while 21% say it is.
While strong majorities among major Latino demographic subgroups say it is not necessary to speak Spanish to be considered Latino, there are some notable differences in views.
- Latino immigrants are less likely than U.S.-born Latinos to say speaking Spanish is not necessary to be considered Latino – 70% vs. 87%.
- Just 7% of third- or higher-generation Latinos (the Latino U.S.-born children of U.S.-born parents) say it is necessary for someone to speak Spanish to be Latino.
- Spanish-dominant Hispanics (34%) are more likely than bilingual (22%) and English-dominant (6%) Hispanics to say speaking Spanish is necessary for a person to be considered Hispanic.
Importance of future U.S. Latino generations speaking Spanish
While most Latinos say speaking Spanish is not necessary to be considered Latino, most agree it is important for future generations to speak it.
A majority of Latinos (65%) say it is at least very important that future generations of Latinos in the U.S. speak Spanish, including a third who say it is extremely important. Only 5% say it’s not at all important.
Immigrant and U.S.-born Latinos and the future of Spanish in the U.S.
Immigrant Latinos are more likely than U.S.-born Latinos to say it is important that future generations of U.S. Latinos can speak Spanish.
- 42% of Latino immigrants say it’s extremely important for future U.S. generations of Latinos to speak Spanish.
- A quarter of U.S.-born Latinos say the same.
- A fifth of U.S.-born Latinos say it is not too or not at all important, while only 7% of foreign-born Latinos say the same.
Source: Pew Research Center
Report: Sebastián Martín Jaramillo
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