A new study examines what influences the views of America’s fastest growing population group—Hispanics. The study, Hispanic America: Faith, Values & Priorities, reveals Hispanic Americans’ attitudes about faith, family and societal issues and gives insights into how their views will impact the political, social and economic climate in the U.S.
By 2050, it is predicted there will be no ethnic or racial majority in the U.S. and Hispanics are projected to make up 25 to 30 percent of the population. Thus, the impact of beliefs and behaviors of Hispanic Americans is becoming increasingly significant.
The study, conducted by Barna Group in partnership with American Bible Society, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and OneHope, found that:
- Seven out of 10 Hispanic Americans (69%) think public schools should teach the values found in the Bible
- 54% identify themselves first as Hispanic or Latino before American, Catholic or Christian
- Hispanic Americans are very concerned about school dropout rates (58%), immigration (53%), unemployment (57%), healthcare (54%) and housing (52%)
- 42% say the Bible influences their views of political and social issues; however, four out of ten Hispanics (43%) read the Good Book less than once a year
- Hispanics believe the No. 1 way they contribute to American society is through their commitment to family
- 78% say the traditional family is the main building block of a healthy community
- When faced with a moral or ethical choice, approximately one-fourth (22%) of those surveyed make choices based on principles or standards they believe in say they should do; those standards were most commonly defined by their parents or the Bible
- 97% of those surveyed indicated they are proud of their Hispanic heritage
Highlights and full findings are available at Hispanics.Barna.org.
