Note: For the Center’s 2024 report on Latinx and other pan-ethnic terms, read “Latinx Awareness Has Doubled Among U.S. Hispanics Since 2019, but Only 4% Use It.”
Overall, about a quarter of Latino adults (23%) have heard of Latinx, though familiarity with the term varies widely across demographic subgroups.
Awareness among the youngest Latinos is considerably higher than among older adults. About four-in-ten (42%) of those ages 18 to 29 have heard of the term Latinx. That share falls to 19% among those ages 30 to 49, while those 65 and older are the least likely to have heard of Latinx (7%).
Familiarity with Latinx also differs by nativity and language use. U.S.-born Latinos (32%) are twice as likely to have heard of the term as immigrant Latinos (16%). Among those who are predominantly English speakers or bilingual Latinos, 29% have heard the term, a significantly higher share than the 7% of predominantly Spanish speakers who say the same.
Latinos with college experience are more likely to have heard of the term Latinx than those without college experience. Some 38% of Latino college graduates have heard of Latinx, as have 31% of those with some college experience, while only 14% of Latinos who are high school graduates or less have heard of the term.
The share of Latinos who have heard of Latinx also varies by political party affiliation. Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party (29%) are more likely to say they have heard of the term than Republicans and Republican leaners (16%).
Demographics and Latinx awareness
There are many demographic differences between Hispanics who have heard of the term Latinx and those who have not. Those who have heard the term are more likely than those who haven’t to be younger, U.S. born, primarily English speakers or bilingual, have been to college and identify as Democrats.
Age
The median age of those who have heard of Latinx is 29 years, compared with 43 years for those who have not heard it.
Half of Latinos (50%) who have heard the term are ages 18 to 29. By comparison, 21% of those who have not heard the term are the same age. (In 2018, 18- to 29-year-olds made up 28% of the Latino adult population, according to Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.)
Nativity
Among Latinos familiar with Latinx, 64% are U.S. born while 35% are immigrants. By contrast, among those not familiar with the term, fewer than half (42%) are U.S. born while 56% are immigrants.
Education
Most Latinos who have heard of Latinx have some college experience (38%) or are college graduates (27%). Meanwhile, among those who have not heard the term, less than half have at least some college experience.
Language use
Hispanics who have heard of Latinx are more likely to mainly be English speakers (35%) or bilingual (57%) than those who have not heard it (25% and 42%). On the other hand, the share of Spanish speakers is higher among those who have not heard of Latinx (33%) compared with those who have heard the term (9%).
Party affiliation
About three-in-four Latinos (74%) who have heard of the term Latinx identify as Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents, a significantly higher share than among those who have not heard the term (54%).
