- Approximately 59 million Latinxs reside in the United States, constituting about 18% of the total population. Latinxs, or Hispanics, are the second-largest ethnic group in the country after white Americans.
Despite being a multiethnic population, this report will focus on their broader identity as Latinxs. While Latinxs were once the primary drivers of population growth in the U.S., their growth rate has slowed due to decreased Mexican migration since 2008 and lower birth rates among younger Latinxs compared to their parents. Nevertheless, it is projected that by 2065, Latinxs will comprise 24% of the total U.S. population.
It’s noteworthy that only one-third of Latinxs are immigrants; the majority were born in the United States, making them a notably youthful population, primarily consisting of millennials (approximately 22 to 38 years old in 2019) and younger individuals. Each year, around one million Latinxs transition into adulthood, and in the 2020 presidential election, for the first time in history, there will be more eligible Latino voters than Black American voters.
However, as the political and cultural influence of Latinxs grows, particularly among immigrants and Spanish-speaking individuals, they have become the target of political attacks originating from the federal government. This has had a substantial impact on the population’s outlook. While Latinxs were once among the most optimistic groups in America, they have become pessimistic about their children’s financial prospects and their place in the country, as indicated by a Pew Center national survey. Both Latino and mainstream media outlets have responded to this political climate with increased coverage of immigration, border issues, and federal policies affecting Latinxs.
Unfortunately, there is limited publicly available data regarding the audience size of most Latino news outlets, making it challenging to determine how many Latinxs they reach. Although it’s difficult to estimate the daily viewership of Univision and Telemundo, they compete favorably with the three largest Anglo TV stations, which have seen declining viewership in recent years.
The readership of Latino print newspapers and magazines has significantly declined since 2011, paralleling the technological disruptions experienced by the broader news industry. Daily circulation figures for most Latino newspapers are now below 35,000. Latino weeklies and other periodical newspapers have somewhat larger circulations, averaging around 92,000 copies for the top 20 publications.
In the digital realm, Latino news outlets attract a more extensive user base, but this audience is often distinct from their print counterparts, with a significant portion of readers residing outside the U.S., mainly in Latin America. Monetizing these digital audiences remains a challenge for these outlets.
Regarding news consumption, Latinx audiences are primarily defined by two factors: age and language preference. A significant majority of U.S. Latinxs are young, with two-thirds falling into the millennial or younger age group. Additionally, a majority of Latinxs are bilingual. While some still rely on Spanish-language news sources, an increasing number prefer to obtain their news from English-language outlets.
