A Hip Hop Nación: New York’s Latino Youth Market.

A continuing study of U.S. Latino youth culture released by Cultural Access Group, Inc. finds that Latino teens and young adults in New York are more likely to be captivated by the English rhymes and cadences of hip hop stars Jay-Z and Nelly than the popular culture en Español of Paulina Rubio or Thalia. According to results of the study, “A Tale of Two Cultures,” which previously examined the language and media preferences of Los Angeles’ Latino youth market in July, New York’s Latino youth are far more likely to consume English-language media and popular culture in general.

Based on fifteen-minute random telephone interviews among 250 Hispanic respondents in New York, between the ages of 14 to 24, and a series of in-street qualitative interviews, the study reinforces the fact that today’s Latino youth market lives in a bicultural universe—one that is already populated by the sultry sounds of salsa and meringue—but is overwhelmingly becoming inhabited by the pulsating bass and rhythms of urban hip hop beats.

The study reveals that 78 percent of respondents were born in the U.S. and over two-thirds of those born outside the U.S. have spent over a decade in the country. Among the major findings identified by the study are:

· New York’s Latino youth overwhelmingly prefer English to Spanish. Eighty-seven percent express a strong preference for English overall, while only 8 percent indicate a preference for Spanish. Another 5 percent reveal a preference for both English and Spanish. While most respondents indicate they are bilingual, most respondents primarily speak English at home and with friends.

· Latino youth consume far more English-language media than Spanish-language media. On a weekly basis, they spend three times as many hours consuming television programming in English—such as “Friends” and “MTV”—than they do in Spanish per week. Similarly, three times more radio programming and four times more for print media are consumed in English than in Spanish.

· By far, hip hop is the dominant musical genre favored among New York’s Latino Youth. Forty-four percent of respondents specify “rap/hip hop” as their favorite type of music, followed by 13 percent who favor R&B. Moreover, the top three radio stations selected by respondents are in Hip Hop/R&B formats—Hot 97, Power 105.1, and KISS 98.7. Among the one-third of respondents who indicate they listen to Spanish music, one-half favor salsa and meringue.

“The Latino youth market in New York is a far more acculturated population in general than their counterparts in Los Angeles,” states David Morse, President of Cultural Access Group, Inc. “This is a consumer segment that is staking out a broad identity that includes strong elements of their Hispanic origins but is also powerfully shaped and influenced by American urban culture as well.”

“Marketers are still figuring out how to capture the essence of this hybrid youth market,” asserts David Perez, Chairman of Cultural Access Group. “Obviously the key to reaching this market is relevance—relevance to their ethnic ethnicity, their lifestyles, media habits, and their culture. This research enlightens the path for companies who are looking to capture this growing and increasingly viable consumer group.”

This study, “A Tale of Two Cultures: U.S. Hispanic Youth,” is the second installment in a series of nationwide surveys being conducted by Cultural Access Group throughout the course of the year examining the trends and movements developing among the emerging Latino youth markets. It will be presented noon Monday, November 4, 2002 at New York’s Harvard Club by David Morse and David Perez. The presentation will also include a video montage of highlights from in-street interviews among New York’s Latino youth respondents. For more information about the event, contact Sara Cherchia at (212) 813-6762.

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

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