CHOCO
Dec 17th, 2002, 05:31 PM
Poll: Most Hispanics Say Discrimination A Problem
Most Respondents Optimistic About Economic Opportunities In U.S.
POSTED: 11:38 a.m. EST December 17, 2002
WASHINGTON -- The vast majority of Hispanics in the United States think discrimination is a problem and nearly a third say they or someone they know have experienced discrimination within the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The survey also found nearly nine in 10 Hispanics say the United States offers better economic opportunity for them than the country from which they or their family came, and a similar percentage said immigrants had to learn English to succeed.
The poll was conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, both research groups. It found 31 percent of Latinos say they or someone they know were discriminated against because of their background, compared with 46 percent of blacks.
An overwhelming majority of Hispanics considered Latino discrimination against other Latinos to be a problem, though views varied according to a person's background. For instance, Colombians and Dominicans were more likely to consider such discrimination a problem than Puerto Ricans.
Hispanics who experience such discrimination may tend to live more in primarily Latino neighborhoods where other Latinos hold management positions such as landlords or shopkeepers, Pew Hispanic Center director Roberto Suro said at a news conference Thursday. Many families from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, have a longer history in the country than other groups and may be more likely to hold such positions.
The poll of adults surveyed by telephone last spring included 2,929 who identified themselves as Hispanics, along with 1,008 whites and 171 blacks. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for Latinos overall, plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for whites and plus or minus 9.9 percentage points for blacks.
The federal government considers Hispanic to be an ethnicity, not a race; people of Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race. Blacks and whites surveyed were not of Hispanic ethnicity.
The 2000 census showed the Hispanic population more than doubled during the 1990s, to 35.3 million, with many new arrivals drawn by the booming U.S. economy. Hispanics now rival blacks as the nation's largest minority group.
The wide-ranging poll measured views on racial, economic and social issues. And while blacks and whites were polled, the survey primarily focused on Hispanic viewpoints.
"Overall, the findings suggest the need for new ways of thinking about the Hispanic population in this country," Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, and four other authors wrote in a 100-page report. "It is neither monolithic nor a hodgepodge of distinct national origin groups."
More than 82 percent of Latinos surveyed said discrimination is a problem that prevents them from succeeding in the United States, compared with 62 percent of blacks and 59 percent of whites. Meanwhile, 14 percent of Latinos surveyed said they had not been hired or promoted for a job because of their background, compared with 31 percent of blacks and 8 percent of whites.
Steven Camarota, a researcher with the Center for Immigration Studies, called the findings significant, though he cautioned that many responses also may have captured perceptions of discrimination rather than actual occurrences.
The poll found 38 percent of Latinos born in the United States said they have personally experienced discrimination or know someone who has, compared to 28 percent of Latinos who immigrated to America. Those who speak English as a first language also were more apt to report discrimination than those who primarily speak Spanish.
That may be because those who are U.S.-educated or speak better English can better decipher instances of discrimination, said Camarota, whose group advocates limits on immigration.
"On some levels, Sept. 11 raised the whole question of who belongs in this country and who doesn't. In doing that, it gave voice and permitted people to discriminate," said Vibiana Andrade, vice president of public policy for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
Among Latinos surveyed, 89 percent said the United States offered better economic opportunities than the country from which they or their ancestors arrived, and 80 percent said they were confident U.S. Hispanic children would receive a better education than they did.
The poll also found Hispanics tend to be more socially conservative than whites, with immigrants more so than Latinos born in the United States.
Most Respondents Optimistic About Economic Opportunities In U.S.
POSTED: 11:38 a.m. EST December 17, 2002
WASHINGTON -- The vast majority of Hispanics in the United States think discrimination is a problem and nearly a third say they or someone they know have experienced discrimination within the past five years, according to a survey released Tuesday.
The survey also found nearly nine in 10 Hispanics say the United States offers better economic opportunity for them than the country from which they or their family came, and a similar percentage said immigrants had to learn English to succeed.
The poll was conducted for the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation, both research groups. It found 31 percent of Latinos say they or someone they know were discriminated against because of their background, compared with 46 percent of blacks.
An overwhelming majority of Hispanics considered Latino discrimination against other Latinos to be a problem, though views varied according to a person's background. For instance, Colombians and Dominicans were more likely to consider such discrimination a problem than Puerto Ricans.
Hispanics who experience such discrimination may tend to live more in primarily Latino neighborhoods where other Latinos hold management positions such as landlords or shopkeepers, Pew Hispanic Center director Roberto Suro said at a news conference Thursday. Many families from Puerto Rico, which is a U.S. territory, have a longer history in the country than other groups and may be more likely to hold such positions.
The poll of adults surveyed by telephone last spring included 2,929 who identified themselves as Hispanics, along with 1,008 whites and 171 blacks. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points for Latinos overall, plus or minus 3.3 percentage points for whites and plus or minus 9.9 percentage points for blacks.
The federal government considers Hispanic to be an ethnicity, not a race; people of Hispanic ethnicity can be of any race. Blacks and whites surveyed were not of Hispanic ethnicity.
The 2000 census showed the Hispanic population more than doubled during the 1990s, to 35.3 million, with many new arrivals drawn by the booming U.S. economy. Hispanics now rival blacks as the nation's largest minority group.
The wide-ranging poll measured views on racial, economic and social issues. And while blacks and whites were polled, the survey primarily focused on Hispanic viewpoints.
"Overall, the findings suggest the need for new ways of thinking about the Hispanic population in this country," Roberto Suro, director of the Pew Hispanic Center, and four other authors wrote in a 100-page report. "It is neither monolithic nor a hodgepodge of distinct national origin groups."
More than 82 percent of Latinos surveyed said discrimination is a problem that prevents them from succeeding in the United States, compared with 62 percent of blacks and 59 percent of whites. Meanwhile, 14 percent of Latinos surveyed said they had not been hired or promoted for a job because of their background, compared with 31 percent of blacks and 8 percent of whites.
Steven Camarota, a researcher with the Center for Immigration Studies, called the findings significant, though he cautioned that many responses also may have captured perceptions of discrimination rather than actual occurrences.
The poll found 38 percent of Latinos born in the United States said they have personally experienced discrimination or know someone who has, compared to 28 percent of Latinos who immigrated to America. Those who speak English as a first language also were more apt to report discrimination than those who primarily speak Spanish.
That may be because those who are U.S.-educated or speak better English can better decipher instances of discrimination, said Camarota, whose group advocates limits on immigration.
"On some levels, Sept. 11 raised the whole question of who belongs in this country and who doesn't. In doing that, it gave voice and permitted people to discriminate," said Vibiana Andrade, vice president of public policy for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund in Los Angeles.
Among Latinos surveyed, 89 percent said the United States offered better economic opportunities than the country from which they or their ancestors arrived, and 80 percent said they were confident U.S. Hispanic children would receive a better education than they did.
The poll also found Hispanics tend to be more socially conservative than whites, with immigrants more so than Latinos born in the United States.