A ‘Spanglish’ World Flourishes Among Latino Youth.

Hispanic marketers take note: a new study released today by Cultural Access Group and Sapo Communications finds that while Hispanic youth in L.A. may be watching both “The Simpsons” and telenovelas, they are far more likely to favor the former over the latter. For while most Latino youth are fully bilingual, they are far more likely to prefer communicating in English than Spanish according results of the study, “A Tale of Two Cultures: LA’s Latino Youth”.

Based on a fifteen-minute random survey among 250 Hispanic respondents in L.A., ages 14 to 24, and a series of various, in-depth qualitative interviews, the study reveals that today’s Latino youth market lives in a bicultural world-one that is likely to embrace good, old-fashioned American hip hop in addition to rock en Español. More than their parents, Latino youth have a broader array of media choices — both in English and Spanish — available to them based on their bilingual background.

According the study, 60 percent of respondents were born in the U.S., and over half of those born outside the U.S. have spent a majority of their lives in the country. Among the major findings identified by the study are:

— The majority of Latino youth prefer English over Spanish. Fifty-seven percent indicated a strong preference for English overall, 28 percent indicated a preference for Spanish, and 14 percent indicated a preference for both. While both Spanish and English are spoken at home, a greater number pointed to English as the primary language spoken among friends. Likewise, although most respondents indicate they are bilingual, they indicate less proficiency in reading and writing in Spanish than they do in English.

— A considerable number of Latino youth speak “Spanglish.” Nearly three-quarters of respondents indicate they frequently speak in ‘Spanglish’ — primarily with friends, at home, and with other young people — often blending both English with Spanish together in everyday conversation.

— Latino youth overwhelmingly favor English-language media over Spanish-language media. They spend nearly twice as many hours consuming television and radio programming in English than they do in Spanish per week and five times more for English-language print media compared to Spanish-language print sources.

— Music plays a considerable role in the lives of Latino youth and defines their lifestyles. The majority of respondents, 55 percent, indicate they primarily listen to music in English, while another 26 percent indicate they listen to music in both English and Spanish. Music is a determining factor for lifestyle, attitudes, and consumer
behavior.

“This study bucks the myth that today’s Latino youth are only consumers of Spanish-language media,” states David Morse, President of Cultural Access Group, Inc. “Latino youth are an emerging consumer segment that prefers a wide range of media channels — but they have been virtually untapped by advertisers and marketers who have yet to comprehend the hybrid nature of this young consumer and communicate to them in a way that makes sense.”

The study, “A Tale of Two Cultures: LA’s Latino Youth,” will be presented in Los Angeles by David Morse and Manny Gonzalez on July 17th and will include a ten-minute video presentation of highlights from the extended qualitative interviews among Latino youth respondents. This study is the first installment in a series of nationwide surveys that is being conducted by Cultural Access Group throughout the course of the year examining the trends and movements developing among the emerging U.S. Hispanic youth market.

For more information at http://www.accesscag.com