U.S. Hispanics Are Consuming More News in English and Less in Spanish

10/4/13

The proportion of U.S. Hispanics who consume news in English is increasing, while the number who consume it in Spanish is decreasing, according to the Pew Hispanic Center. In 2006, equal proportions of Hispanics read, listened to, and/or watched news in English and in Spanish (78% each). By 2012, the proportion of Hispanics who got news in English had grown to 82%, and the proportion who got it in Spanish had declined to 68%.

Almost a third (32%) got news exclusively in English in 2012, up from 22% who did so in 2006. Fewer than one in five (18%) consumed news exclusively in Spanish in 2012, down from 22% who did so in 2006.

Changes in news consumption preferences reflect demographic shifts in the U.S. Hispanic population. The share of Hispanics who speak English proficiently rose from 54% to 59% between 2006 and 2012. Nearly half of Hispanics currently living in the U.S. (49%) were born there, up from 45% in 2006. Native-born Hispanics are much more likely than their foreign-born counterparts to consume news solely in English (59% vs. 11%). Although English-dominant Hispanics are much more likely to consume news only in English than in both languages, the majority of Spanish-dominant Hispanics consume news bilingually.

Television continues to be Hispanics’ preferred news medium, although the proportion who use it on a typical weekday has declined since 2006. Use of print newspapers declined significantly between 2006 and 2012, while that of Internet news increased during that time.

More than four in 10 Hispanics (45%) are avid news consumers, keeping up with the news “a lot.” Another 36% say they keep up with the news “some,” while 15% say they don’t keep up much, and 4% say they don’t keep up at all. Hispanics who consume news solely in English are significantly more likely than those who consume it solely in Spanish to say they keep up with the news a lot (53% vs. 35%).

SOURCE: “A Growing Share of Latinos Get Their News in English,” July 2013, Pew Hispanic Center, Mark Hugo Lopez, Director, 1615 L St., NW, #700, Washington, DC 20036; 202-419-3600; info@pewhispanic.org; www.pewhispanic.org. Price: Available online at no charge.

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