More than half of U.S. Latinos admit they have been made to feel guilty by other Latinos for speaking little to no Spanish, according to a poll published Wednesday.
The Pew Research Center survey found that 54% of Latinos who speak little or no Spanish have been shamed about it by other Latinos.
The survey — released amid National Hispanic American Heritage Month — also found that 40% of all Latino adults “often” or “extremely often” hear their family and friends mock other Latinos who cannot speak Spanish or do not speak it well. Another 29% said they sometimes hear the same thing.
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More than half of U.S. Latinos admit they have been made to feel guilty by other Latinos for speaking little to no Spanish, according to a Pew Research Center survey. (iStock)
While most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish, with 40 million Latinos using the language at home, only 75% of those surveyed said they can carry on a conversation in Spanish “pretty well” or “very well.”
When it comes to Latinos from the third generation onward, only 34% said they can carry on a Spanish-language conversation “pretty well,” with only 14% saying they can do the same “very well.”
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Marchers hold a banner that spans across 5th Avenue reading “We Speak Spanish” during the 55th Annual Hispanic Heritage Day Parade in the Manhattan borough of New York on October 13, 2019. (Ira L. Black/Corbis)
Another 85% of those who took part in the survey said they believe it is somewhat important for future generations of Latinos in the U.S. to speak Spanish, and 80% said it is not necessary to speak Spanish in order to be considered a Latino.
Latinos from Central America (79%) think it is important for future generations to have the ability to speak Spanish, compared to other groups like South Americans (65%), Mexicans (64%), Cubans (63%) and Puerto Ricans (59%).
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Eighty-eight percent of Latino Democrats who responded, compared to 80% of Latino Republicans, believe it is “somewhat important” that future generations know how to speak Spanish. Thirty-six percent of Latino Democrats said it is “extremely important,” compared to 26% of Latino Republicans who said the same.
Among Latinos who were surveyed, 63%, also admitted to sometimes speaking Spanglish – a mix of the Spanish and English language.
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The survey, which included responses from 3,029 Latinos, focused primarily on U.S. Latinos’ views on Spanish – the most commonly used non-English language in the United States.