The Changing Demographic of a Demographic
The Changing Demographic
Births have surpassed immigration as the main driver of the dynamic growth in the U.S. Hispanic population. According to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, this new trend is especially evident among the largest of all Hispanic groups: Mexican-Americans.
In the decade from 2000 to 2010, the Mexican-American population grew by 7.2 million as a result of births, and 4.2 million as a result of new immigrant arrivals. This is a change from the previous two decades, when the number of new immigrants either matched or exceeded the number of births.
This will have a direct impact on how the next generation of US Hispanics will relate to US brands. This group is going to be fully acculturated into the US population, while retaining strong familial and cultural roots to their country of origin. US brands will have to adjust accordingly to be able to reach this group in a meaningful way. This is no longer a predominantly ‘immigrant population’ with all of the socio-economic baggage (real or perceived) that goes along with it.
These children of immigrants are modern counterparts of the very foundation of this country, and will have all the opportunities that brought their parents here in the first place, available to them. They will grow up to be a large part of the fabric of American culture. Advertisers would be wise to put strategies in place that take them into account in a very real way.
