{"id":323637,"date":"2026-07-09T09:59:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:59:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=323637"},"modified":"2026-07-09T15:24:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T19:24:44","slug":"the-many-ways-u-s-hispanics-describe-their-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/beta.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/race-and-ethnicity\/2026\/07\/09\/the-many-ways-u-s-hispanics-describe-their-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"The many ways U.S. Hispanics describe their identity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
About this research<\/summary>\n

This Pew Research Center analysis explores the ways U.S. Latinos express and view their national, ethnic and racial identities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Center does research to inform the public, journalists and decision-makers. This analysis builds on a quarter century of research about Hispanic identity<\/a>. It is part of a larger body of work that explores the attitudes and experiences of U.S. Hispanics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about Pew Research Center<\/a>, our research on Hispanics in the U.S.<\/a> and other research on race and ethnicity<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did we do this?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis is based on Pew Research Center\u2019s latest National Survey of Latinos, conducted from Oct. 6 to 16, 2025,<\/strong> among a sample of 8,046 U.S. adults. Some 4,923 Hispanics were surveyed, with 1,125 respondents who are members of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel<\/a> (ATP) and 3,798 respondents who are members of SSRS\u2019s Opinion Panel<\/a>. The survey also included 3,114 non-Hispanic ATP members. Here are the questions<\/a> used for this analysis, detailed responses<\/a> and the methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The survey was conducted in English and Spanish. Respondents were recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interviews took place either online, or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education, presidential vote (among voters) and other factors. Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Key terms<\/summary>\n

The terms Hispanic<\/strong> and Latino<\/strong> are used interchangeably in this analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S.-born<\/strong>\u00a0people are those born in the 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, or those born in foreign countries to U.S. citizen parents.

Immigrants<\/strong>\u00a0are U.S. residents born in foreign countries to parents who aren\u2019t U.S. citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: In this report, people born in Puerto Rico are considered immigrants. Although individuals born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by birth, they are born into a Spanish-dominant culture. On many points, their attitudes, views and beliefs are much closer to Hispanics born abroad than to Hispanics born in the 50 states or D.C., even those who identify as being of Puerto Rican origin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second generation<\/strong> refers to U.S.-born people who have at least one immigrant parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Third or higher generation<\/strong> refers to U.S.-born people who have two U.S.-born parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout this report, Democrats<\/strong> are respondents who identify with the Democratic Party or who identify as independent but lean toward the Democratic Party. Republicans<\/strong> are those who identify with the Republican Party or who identify as independent but lean toward the Republican Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Validated voters<\/strong> are adult citizens who told us in a postelection survey that they voted in a given general election and have a record of voting in a commercial voter file. Trump voters<\/strong> are validated voters who self-reported that they voted for Republican Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Harris voters<\/strong> are validated voters who self-reported that they voted for Democrat Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonvoters<\/strong> are those who did not vote in 2024 but were eligible to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Country of origin or place of origin<\/strong> refers to the country or place that respondents\u2019 families trace their heritage to. These terms are used interchangeably with similar expressions such as home country, family origins, family roots, ancestral origin and heritage.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n

Fifty\u00a0years ago, Congress passed a law to improve data collection on people in the United States who have roots in Spanish-speaking countries \u2013 a group that came to be labeled \u201cHispanics\u201d and \u201cLatinos\u201d in federal surveys and publications. The law was meant to help decision makers better understand<\/a> the fast-growing Hispanic population, but it also grouped a diverse people under a single umbrella<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Hispanics in the U.S. use a variety of labels to describe their identity, from pan-ethnic ones such as Hispanic and Latino to ancestry-based ones like Cuban American or Mexican. Some Hispanics use \u201cAmerican\u201d on its own. Importantly, many Hispanics have used each of these terms at least once in their lives to describe themselves, highlighting the layers of U.S. Hispanic identity. At the same time, some terms are used more than others, reflecting the ways Hispanics understand and express who they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To better understand how Hispanics use, prioritize and think about identity labels, Pew Research Center conducted a bilingual survey among 4,923 Hispanic adults in October 2025. We asked respondents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which labels have they used at least once in their lives to describe themselves? <\/strong>Large majorities of Hispanic adults say they have ever used<\/a> a pan-ethnic term such as Hispanic or Latino (84%) or their country of origin or heritage on its own \u2013 for example, Puerto Rican (80%) \u2013 to describe themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which label do they use most often to describe themselves<\/strong>? Hispanics do not point to a single dominant choice. However, the labels they use most often include their place of origin or heritage<\/a>, either on its own (35%) or combined with American (18%) \u2014 for example, Salvadoran or Dominican American. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which pan-ethnic term \u2013 Hispanic, Latino,<\/strong> Latinx or Latine \u2013 do they prefer to describe people of Hispanic or Latino origin or descent?<\/strong> When labeling the entire U.S. Hispanic population, a majority say they prefer the term Hispanic (54%) over Latino (30%)<\/a>. Few say they prefer the terms Latinx or Latine, while 14% say they have no preference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, we asked respondents if they consider themselves \u201ca typical American.\u201d <\/strong>Hispanics are evenly divided<\/a> on this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which labels Hispanics use \u2013 and how often they use them \u2013 also varies by immigrant generation and other demographic characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This analysis is part of a larger study about U.S. Latino identity. For a summary of the main findings, visit \u201cU.S. Hispanics are divided on whether their identity helps or hurts them in America<\/a>.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defining the U.S. Hispanic population<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 1976, the U.S. Congress passed Public Law 94-311<\/a>. This legislation defined \u201cAmericans of Spanish origin or descent\u201d as \u201cAmericans [who] identify themselves as being of Spanish-speaking background and trace their origin or descent from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central and South America, and other Spanish-speaking countries.\u201d This includes around 20 Spanish-speaking nations from Latin America and Spain itself, but not Portugal or Portuguese-speaking Brazil.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To implement this law, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 1977 developed Statistical Policy Directive No. 15<\/a> (SPD 15), recommending that federal agencies measure race and ethnicity separately. In a 1997 revision<\/a>, the OMB adopted \u201cHispanic or Latino\u201d as the label for reporting federal statistics on this population. In a 2024 revision<\/a>, OMB proposed combining the race and ethnicity questions into a single question. Read more about how the Census Bureau and federal agencies collect race and ethnicity data<\/a> here.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Which labels have Hispanics used at least once in their lives to describe themselves?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"A<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Some 84% of U.S. Hispanics say they have used a pan-ethnic term (such as Hispanic, Latino, Latinx or Latine) to describe themselves at least once in their lives<\/em>. And 80% say they have ever used their family\u2019s country of origin on its own (such as Mexican) to describe themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fewer have ever used other terms:<\/p>\n\n\n\n