Nuanced Portrait of U.S. Latinos : New study shows fallacy of stereotyping

Stereotypes die hard. But perhaps they die a little easier in the face of facts.

The Latino National Political Survey released this week explodes some key myths about the largest minority in California and the nation’s second-largest ethnic group. The study, the most comprehensive of its kind, surveyed more than 2,800 people of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican descent in 40 U.S. cities. The survey revealed a wide range of opinion among Latinos--which only emphasizes that they are far from monolithic.

For example, more than 90% of those surveyed--and this includes U.S.-born Latinos and non-citizens--believe that citizens and residents of this nation should learn English if they do not already speak it. Eighty percent believe that teaching English should be a key aim of bilingual education. At the same time, though, those surveyed overwhelmingly supported providing government services in both English and Spanish.

And contrary to stereotypes, “a majority of U.S. Latinos do not support traditional roles for women,” said the 1989-90 study, funded by grants from the Ford Foundation and other groups.

In what is likely to be the most talked-about finding, the survey suggested that majorities as high as 80% do not support increased immigration. Most painted themselves as politically moderate and favoring increased government spending for programs dealing with health, child services, the environment and crime.

It should be pointed out that the high level of agreement that there are “too many immigrants” does not necessarily translate into broad-based support among Latinos for crackdowns on immigration. One reason (and an apparent weakness in the survey): Central Americans, who account for much of the most recent Latino immigration, were not included. People of Mexican, Cuban and Puerto Rican heritage--the three groups surveyed--account for 80% of all Latinos in United States.

Still, the survey goes a long way toward providing more evidence for what should have been apparent all along: “This is not a simple population; you can’t generalize,” said Rodolfo O. de la Garza, director of the study and a professor at the University of Texas at Austin. “ . . . This should help quiet the tendency to cling to racially loaded images of these populations.” That observation needs to be kept in mind as Southern California’s policy-makers and officials seek to cope with the problems and opportunities of the region’s increasing diversity.

Latino Growth Since 1980, the Latino community in Los Angeles County has increased by 1.3 million or 62%. Latinos now make up 37.8% of the county population, up from 27.6% a decade ago. Anglo: 40.8% Latino: 37.8% Black: 10.5 Asian: 10.2% Other: 0.2% Indian: 0.3%