Hispanic American Diversity Assignment, Essay Example

Hispanic Americans are the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. U.S. Census Bureau estimated in 2004 that Hispanic Americans account for almost half the total U.S. population’s annual growth. Hispanic Americans accounted for 15% of the total U.S. population of 305 million in 2008 and the average income of Hispanic American household was $37,781 in 2009, according to U.S. Census Bureau (Dimofte, Johansson, & Bagozzi, 2010). Hispanic Americans trace their roots to various countries in Hispanic America such as Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, El Salvador, and Guatemala. This paper focuses on the characteristics of four Hispanic American groups which are Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Cuban Americans, and Colombian Americans.

Mexican Americans are the largest of the Hispanic American groups. In 2002, 51 percent Mexican Americans spoke Spanish as their dominant language, 23 percent spoke English as their primary means of conversation, and the rest 26 percent were bilingual (Schaefer, Hispanic Americans, 2006). As of 2000, only 6.95 percent of the Mexican Americans over 25 were pursuing college degree. 7 percent were unemployed and 30 percent families were headed by a single parent. 24.1 percent were surviving on income that was below the poverty line. Mexican Americans not only lag behind Anglo Americans in formal schooling but also other Hispanic American groups with the exception of Puerto Ricans. Mexican Americans are family oriented and regular Church attendees. Mexican Americans take pride in strong family connections and loyalty to family over one self. Most of the Mexican Americans are members of the Catholic Church. As of 1994, about 59 percent of Mexican American high school seniors claimed to follow the Catholic Church while 17.4 percent claimed to be Protestant. Hispanic Americans account for at least a third of the Catholic Church membership in the U.S. (Schaefer, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, 2006).

Puerto Ricans are the second largest of the Hispanic American groups. In 2002, there were more than 3.2 million Puerto Ricans in the U.S. Among Puerto Ricans, 39 percent communicate in English, 21 percent speak Spanish as a dominant language, and the rest 40 percent are bilingual (Schaefer, Hispanic Americans, 2006). As of 2000, 13 percent of Puerto Ricans over 25 were pursuing college degree. Astonishingly 43.2 percent Puerto Ricans lived in families headed by a single parent. 8.1 percent were unemployed and 25.8 percent lived below the poverty line. The median family income of Puerto Ricans was $31,312 in 2000. Like Mexican Americans, Puerto Rican families are also characterized by close knit relations and group-oriented mindset. 52 percent Puerto Rican high school students claimed to follow the Catholic Church where as 21.6 percent were Protestants (Schaefer, Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans, 2006).

Cuban Americans are the third largest Hispanic American group. There were more than 1.4 million Cuban Americans in 2000. By 2000, Cuban Americans had college degrees at twice the rate of other Hispanic American groups. Soccer is the most popular sport among Cuban Americans. Unlike other Hispanic American Groups that usually vote for Democratic candidates, Cuban Americans usually support Republican candidates. The most notable community of Cuban Americans is in Miami, Florida (Schaefer, Hispanic Americans, 2006). Approximately 68 percent of Cuban Americans live in Florida and the next largest communities are in New Jersey, New York, California, and Texas respectively. Compared with the rest of the American Hispanic groups, Cuban Americans have higher household income and higher rate of home ownership. Cubans are also more likely to identify themselves as whites as compared to other American Hispanic groups. Approximately 69 percent of Cuban Americans under 18 speak a non-English language at home where as 89 percent of those over 18 speak a non-English language. 12 percent of Cuban Americans under 18 have some English language skills while the rate jumps to 49% for those over 18 (Pew Hispanic Center, 2006).

According to U.S. Census Bureau 2005 data, there were 730,150 Colombian Americans in the U.S. 20.8 percent of the Colombian Americans over 25 had bachelor’s degree and 83.7 percent had high school degree (U.S. Census Bureau). Colombian Americans are the seventh largest Hispanic American groups in the U.S. 55 percent of Colombians speak English which is the largest proportion among the Hispanic American groups mentioned in this paper. Colombians are also more likely to get married (50.4%) than average Hispanic group (47.3%). The median income for Colombian Americans was $24,792 in 2007 as compared to Hispanic American average of $21,048. The rate of Colombian Americans home ownership at 51.9 percent was also greater than the Hispanic average of 49.9 percent (Pew Hispanic Center, 2009). Most of the Colombian Americans are follows of the Catholic church.

Various Hispanic American groups are as different from each other as they are from non-Hispanic American groups. Catholicism is the dominant faith among almost all the Hispanic American groups. The Hispanic American groups also vary in their economic prosperity and education levels with Cuban Americans and Colombian Americans showing higher progress than Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans who are in greater number than any other Hispanic group. Hispanic American groups tend to have larger families and children stay with parents for longer periods than Anglo Americans. Hispanic Americans groups are still underrepresented in the workforce due to lower education levels and years of discrimination. Hispanic Americans together constitute the largest ethnic minority in the U.S. but lag behind Asian Americans who are relatively well educated and have higher representation in white collar jobs as a proportion of their population size.

References

Dimofte, C. V., Johansson, J. K., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2010). Global Brands in the United States: How Consumer Ethnicity Mediates the Global Brand Effect. Journal of International Marketing , pp. 81-106.

Pew Hispanic Center. (2006). Cubans in the United States. Pew Research Center.

Pew Hispanic Center. (2009). Hispanics of Colombian Origin in the United States, 2007. Pew Research Center.

Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Hispanic Americans. In R. T. Schaefer, Racial and Ethnic Groups (pp. 235-254). Prentice-Hall.

Schaefer, R. T. (2006). Mexican Americans and Puerto Ricans. In Racial and Ethnic Groups (pp. 258-280). Prentice-Hall.

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved January 30, 2011, from American Factfinder: http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/IPTable?_bm=y&-reg=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201:417;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR:417;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201T:417;ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201TPR:417&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201&-qr_name=ACS_2005_EST_G00_S0201PR&-qr_name=ACS_2005_E