When it comes to Latinos, the U.S. has a habit of placing them into one uniform group. But the reality is Latinos have a wide variety of identities, which can have an impact far beyond a single ethnic category.
Gabriel Acevedo, professor at St. Mary’s University, and Kevin Stuart, executive director of the Austin Institute, discuss the findings in their study “Latinos in America.”
Those of Latin descent can be broken down into a variety of identities, such as Puerto Rican, Mexican American or Cuban American. Not only their country of origin, but how many generations they have been in the U.S. can have an impact on an array of topics.
In late 2018, the Austin Institute for the Study of Family and Culture released one of the most extensive representative samples of Latinos in the U.S. and revealed how far their belief systems stretch.
Acevedo, Stuart and their group of researchers explored how this minority population views certain issues such as civic engagement, religion, marriage, and even abortion. More importantly, the report discovered they are a minority population with an identity far more complex than just Hispanic, and with no single “Latino point of view.”
Norma Martinez can be reached at norma@tpr.org and on Twitter @NormDog1 and Lauren Terrazas can be reached at lauren@tpr.org and on Twitter @terrazas_lauren.
