Pew Probes Hispanic Identity

A Pew survey of the nation's Hispanics finds that the 54 percent majority usually identify themselves by their family's country of origin such as Mexican, Salvadoran, etc., rather than "Hispanic." Only 20 percent usually identify themselves as Hispanic, less than the 23 percent who usually identify themselves as simply "American."

When asked whether they prefer the term "Hispanic" or "Latino," half have no preference, 33 percent prefer Hispanic, and just 15 percent prefer Latino.

When asked whether they think of themselves as a typical American, the 49 percent plurality of Hispanics say yes. But a substantial 44 percent say they are very different from the typical American, a figure that climbs to 67 percent among those who immigrated to the United States in the past five years.

Source: Pew Research Hispanic Trends Project, Three-Fourths of Hispanics Say their Community Needs a Leader