UCLA: Majority Of Babies Born In California Are Latino.

The Latino majority has arrived in California with the majority of babies born in the state
being Latino, foreshadowing the state’s future students, workers and voters, according to a
UCLA study.

The era of the Latino majority among babies in California began in the summer of 2001 — more than half, 50.2 percent, of all babies born in the third quarter of 2001 were Latino, and
50.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2001 were Latino, according to a study by the UCLA Center
for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.

“The majority of children born in California are now Latino. As a result, the health, wellbeing
and education of Latino children now concern the majority of all children, not a small minority,” said David Hayes-Bautista, director of the center. “Latino issues are now the state’s
mainstream, majority issues.”

The Latino majority will ripple throughout California’s society, institutions, economy and
politics throughout the 21st century. In fall 2006, the majority of children entering the state’s kindergartens will be Latino, and in fall 2014, the majority of children entering high schools will be Latino. The majority of new workers entering the state’s labor force in fall 2017 will be Latino, and the majority of young adults eligible to vote in fall 2019 will be Latino.

“The long-anticipated Latino majority has arrived,” he said. “In 2003, it is learning how
to walk, and will shortly learn to talk. For the next 40 years, each new phase of human development — child, adolescence, young adult and middle age — will be experienced in this
state by a Latino majority.”

Researchers also looked at births of other ethnic groups in reviewing the 2001 birth data. While 50.2 percent of births in the third quarter were Latino babies, 31.4 percent of the births were non-Hispanic whites, 11.3 percent were Asian/Pacific Islander and 6.1 percent were African American. Similarly, in the fourth quarter, 50.6 percent of the births were Latino,
compared to 30.4 percent for non-Hispanic whites, 11.7 percent for Asian/Pacific Islander and 6.1 percent for African American.

Researchers also compiled a county-by-county comparison of Latino births by examining statistics for the 138,892 births reported in the third quarter of 2001 and the 132,482 births
reported in the fourth quarter of 2001.

More than two-thirds of Latino babies were born in Southern California. But researchers noted that Latino births now occur in nearly all counties, signaling a shift in the state’s future
demographic trends.

According to the study focusing on the last two quarters of 2001, the percentage of Latino births was not uniform in all counties — it varied in range from nearly 90 percent in Imperial County to zero percent of the seven births in Sierra County.

In Los Angeles County in the third quarter, 63.5 percent of the children born were Latino, compared with 52.1 percent in Ventura County, 50.6 percent in Orange County and 45.5 percent
in San Diego County. The percentages were similar in the fourth quarter, with Los Angeles County at 63.4 percent, Ventura County at 53.9 percent, Orange County at 49.7 percent and San Diego County at 44.5 percent.

“In a number of counties — Imperial, Madera, Monterey, Tulare and Colusa — Latinos are more than just a majority,” Hayes-Bautista said. “They are a super-majority — that is, twothirds or more of all babies born.”

The trend in the increase in Latino births can be measured beginning in 1975 when 26.5 percent of the births in California were Latino. In 1980, 29 percent of the babies born were Latino; in 1985, the number grew to 31.1 percent; in 1990, Latino births increased to 38.6 percent; and in 1995, Latino births rose to 45.8 percent. From 1997 to 2001, the Latino birth proportion rose from 47.5 percent to 49.5 percent. Data from 2001 showed Latino births in the first quarter were 48.7 percent, in the second quarter were 48.4 percent, in the third quarter were 50.2 percent and in the fourth quarter were 50.6 percent.

“The future of California looks very much like its 19th-century past — once again the majority of the population, in the toddler age group, is Latino,” he said. “To the extent we invest in this new majority, our future looks good. And, to the extent we choose not to invest, our own
future looks grim. The choice is entirely ours.”

To view full report CLICK below (Adobe Acrobat reader required):

http://www.cesla.med.ucla.edu/html/pdf/majority.pdf

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader CLICK below:

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html