--- title: "II. Latinos in a Tough Economy" description: "The new Pew Hispanic survey finds that the sour economy has had a significant impact on Hispanics’ spending and economic behaviors. Nearly half (49%) say they have delayed or canceled plans to buy a car or make some other major purchase in the past year. Some 45% say they have delayed or canceled plans to […]" date: "2012-01-26" authors: - name: "Paul Taylor" job_title: "Former Author of The Next America and the former Vice President of Pew Research Center" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/paul-taylor/" - name: "Mark Hugo Lopez" job_title: "Director, Race and Ethnicity Research" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/mark-hugo-lopez/" - name: "Gabriel Velasco" job_title: "Guest Contributor" - name: "Seth Motel" job_title: "Former Research Analyst" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/seth-motel/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2012/01/26/ii-latinos-in-a-tough-economy/" --- # II. Latinos in a Tough Economy ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/01/2012-nsl-economy-06.png) The new Pew Hispanic survey finds that the sour economy has had a significant impact on Hispanics’ spending and economic behaviors. Nearly half (49%) say they have delayed or canceled plans to buy a car or make some other major purchase in the past year. Some 45% say they have delayed or canceled plans to buy a home or make major home improvements. Nearly four-in-ten (38%) say they have cut the size of meals or skipped meals because there wasn’t enough money for food. And 37% say they had trouble getting or paying for medical care for their family. For some behaviors, there are no differences between foreign-born Hispanics and native-born Hispanics. For example, immigrant and native-born Hispanics are equally likely to say they have delayed or canceled plans to buy a car or make some other major purchase—49% and 48%, respectively. And, when it comes to getting medical care for their family, nearly equal shares of foreign-born and native-born Latinos say they have had trouble getting or paying for it in the past year—38% versus 35%. On other behaviors, foreign-born Hispanics are more likely than native-born Hispanics to say they have changed. Nearly half (48%) of the foreign born say they have delayed or canceled plans to buy a home or make major home improvements, compared with 41% of the native born. And 43% of immigrant Hispanics say they have cut back the size of their meals or skipped meals altogether because of a lack of money for food. Among the native born, 33% say they have done this in the past year. Among foreign-born Latinos, those who are not U.S. citizens are more likely to have changed their economic behavior than other Latinos. For example, more than half (53%) of immigrant Latinos who are not citizens and not legal residents (a group that closely aligns with the unauthorized immigrant population[5. numoffset="5" The Center’s analysis of Current Population Survey data indicates that approximately 98% of Hispanic immigrants who are neither U.S. citizens nor legal residents are unauthorized immigrants ([Livingston, 2009](https://www.pewresearch.org/hispanic/2009/09/25/hispanics-health-insurance-and-health-care-access/)).]) and 49% of immigrant Latinos who are legal residents say they have cut back on the size of meals because of a lack of money for food. On getting or paying for medical care, 45% of immigrant Latinos who are not U.S. citizens and not legal residents and 43% of immigrant Latinos who are legal residents say they have had trouble getting or paying for medical care for their family in the past year. ### Personal Finances ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/01/2012-nsl-economy-07.png) The difficult economy has also affected Latinos’ assessments of their personal finances. According to the new survey, three-in-four (75%) Latinos rate their current financial situation as either “only fair” (51%) or “poor” (25%). By contrast, among U.S. adults, fewer (61%) rate their current financial situation as “only fair” (37%) or “poor” (24%). ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/01/2012-nsl-economy-08.png) Despite challenging economic conditions and difficult personal finances, Latinos are optimistic about their finances in the coming year—more so than the general public. Two-thirds (67%) of Latinos expect an improvement in their financial situation and that of their family. By contrast, 58% of all adults say they expect to see an improvement. ![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2012/01/2012-nsl-economy-09.png) Overall, foreign-born Hispanics hold a grimmer view of their personal finances than the native born. More than eight-in-ten (83%) foreign-born Hispanics rate their own financial situation as “only fair” or “poor” while two-thirds (66%) of the native born offer the same rating. And when it comes to optimism about personal finances in the next year, fewer immigrant Hispanics than native-born Hispanics expect to see an improvement—63% versus 71%. ### Unemployment and Latinos Many Latinos have experienced a spell of unemployment or know someone who has been unemployed. According to the new survey, nearly six-in-ten (59%) Latino adults say this has happened to their household in the past year. Among all U.S. adults, nearly as many said the same in March of 2011—51% ([Kohut, Doherty, Dimock and Keeter, 2011](https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2011/05/04/beyond-red-vs-blue-the-political-typology/)). Overall, native-born Hispanics and foreign-born Hispanics are just as likely to say their households have experienced unemployment in the last year—57% and 60% respectively. However, among the foreign born there are notable differences. Two-thirds (66%) of immigrant Hispanics who are legal residents and two-thirds (66%) of those who do not have U.S. citizenship and are not a legal resident say someone in their household was without a job or looking for work in the last year. By contrast, 54% of naturalized U.S. citizens say the same. Experience with unemployment varies across other Latino demographic groups as well. Seven-in-ten (70%) of those ages 18 to 29 have experienced unemployment in their households in the last year—more than any other age group—while 57% of Latinos ages 30 to 49, 57% of those ages 50 to 64, and half (51%) of those ages 65 and older say the same. The survey also reveals differences by educational attainment. Two-thirds (65%) of Latinos with less than a high school diploma say they or someone in their household has been without a job in the last 12 months. By contrast 53% of those with some college education say the same. Additionally, 60% of high school graduates also say they or someone in their household has been without a job in the last 12 months. Finally, household experience with unemployment is higher among Hispanics who are not registered to vote than it is among those who are registered—64% of the former say this compared with 53% of Hispanic registered voters. --- **Next:** [III. Latinos and Homeownership](https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2012/01/26/iii-latinos-and-homeownership.md)