English Proficiency rising among Latinos
A recent Pew Research Center report shows that more Latinos are speaking English proficiently while fewer are speaking Spanish at home. In 2000 59% of Latinos polled reported speaking English proficiently; in 2013 this number increased to 68%. During the same period the number of Latinos who speak Spanish at home dropped from 78% to 73%.
The report also shows that US born Latinos are driving the language changes, influencing the increases in English and the decreases in the usage of Spanish. In 2013 US-born Hispanics outnumber foreign-born Hispanics (35 million vs 19 million); that’s a rate of almost two to one. US born-Hispanics are also averaging younger ages than foreign-born Hispanics, 19 years old vs. 40 years old.
The other side of the coin on this is that approximately 30% of Hispanics are not proficient in English. So services and information in Spanish are still needed for the millions of Hispanics who don’t have the proficiency in English to consume information in that language.
You can view the full report (PDF) from Pew.
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NOTES:
- Source: English Proficiency on the Rise among Latinos [REPORT] | HispanicAd.com
- Source: English Proficiency on the Rise Among Latinos | Pew Research Center
Sandra Fernandez is a professional communicator, tech enthusiast, book lover, and blogger. You can find her main blog at SandraSays.com and more of her writing at HispanicHouston.com.