Communication can take many forms, but language is the foundation for any dialogue. In the U.S., English is the language of record, but it’s far from the only one that the country’s more than 325 million people use each day—with many using more than one. It might not come as a surprise that Spanish is one of the top languages spoken within the U.S., as Hispanics make up 18% of the overall population (and represent the fastest growing ethnic or racial group). Importantly, approximately 75% of U.S. Hispanics are bilingual—even though a majority were born in the U.S.
What’s driving this connection to the Spanish language? According to Stacie de Armas, VP, Strategic Initiatives & Consumer Engagement at Nielsen, it’s primarily driven by a desire to “connect in culture.” As we reported in our recent La Oportunidad Latinx: Cultural Currency and the Consumer Journey report, 71% of Hispanics speak Spanish in the home, either primarily or in combination with English. And as a result, the Latinx community connects with content and brands in both English and Spanish as an important part of the ambicultural (being 100% fluent in more than one culture) experience.
Note: Nielsen uses the term Latinx to connote unspecified gender. The decision is a nod toward greater inclusion of women, LGBT+ and non-binary Hispanics and the growing popularity of the term in social media and academic writing.
