Hispanics Love Social Media.

Hispanics embrace social media such as Facebook, YouTube and Google+ more than the general population. But when it comes to sharing personal information about themselves, Hispanics are more cautious.

“Secondarily, Latinos are very loyal consumers. But in order to gain their trust, you have to assure them that you are legitimate. Culturally we tend to be sensitive to giving personal information so easily. Once trust is gained, Latinos will usually open up.”

uSamp, a leader in providing targeted audiences for global consumer insights, engaged 650 members from its newly inaugurated Hispanic panel, SúperOpinión.com, to survey participants on their attitudes toward social media compared to the general population.

The survey found that 90 percent of Hispanics are likely to be on Facebook compared to 81 percent of the general population; 57 percent of Hispanics access YouTube compared to 46 percent of the general population. Hispanics are also overwhelmingly more likely to be on Google+, 47 percent compared with 18 percent of the general population. The only social media platform that Hispanics largely ignore is LinkedIn. Only 4 percent of Hispanics surveyed said they use LinkedIn vs. 21 percent of the general population.

“Social media is a natural fit for Latinos. Latinos, by nature, are innovators. Social media allows us to create, recreate and take a shot at building communities around content that we want,” said Lance Ríos, president and founder, Being Latino, Inc. “Secondarily, Latinos are very loyal consumers. But in order to gain their trust, you have to assure them that you are legitimate. Culturally we tend to be sensitive to giving personal information so easily. Once trust is gained, Latinos will usually open up.”

While Hispanics participate in social media at a higher level than the general population, they are more cautious about what they share.

The uSamp survey revealed that 65 percent of Hispanics are willing to share their names on social media compared to 87.1 percent of the general population. Hispanics are also more reluctant to post their relationship status – only 42.5 percent vs. 73.5 percent of the general population.

Additional survey findings on willingness to share information on social media include:

Political Affiliation: 29.5 percent of Hispanics willing to share vs. 53 percent of general population

Preferred Consumer Brands: 68 percent of Hispanics willing to share vs. 77.4 percent of general population

Personal Photos: 35 percent Hispanics willing vs. 56 percent of general population

Occupation: 49.3 percent Hispanics willing to share vs. 62.4 percent general population

Birthdate: 36 percent Hispanics willing to share vs. 49.5 percent of general population

Education: 59.7 percent Hispanics willing to share vs. 67 percent of general population

For more information at http://www.usamp.com/>