Of adult first-generation Latinos, just 23% say they can carry on a conversation in English very well; that share rises sharply, to 88%, among the second generation of adults, and to 94% among the third and higher generations. As English usage gains over generations, Spanish use dwindles but does not disappear. Among foreign-born Hispanics, 95% say they speak Spanish very well. Slightly more than half of the second generation (56%) say they speak Spanish very well, as do 29% of the later generations. But Spanish retains a foothold in the third generation and beyond, with 52% reporting they speak it at least pretty well. Read More

Russell Heimlich  is a former web developer at Pew Research Center.