THE NEXT AMERICA

English Becomes Dominant Language for Hispanics Two Generations After Immigration

By Stephanie Czekalinski

Updated: May 1, 2012 | 11:55 a.m.
April 27, 2012 | 1:44 p.m.

A survey of Hispanics shows that English becomes the dominant language in families two generations after an immigrant arrives in the United States. 

The survey, released by the Pew Hispanic Center in April, found that even though English is the dominant language among the grandchildren of immigrants, Spanish persists. 

A significant share of third-generation Latinos use Spanish when listening to music, watching television, and thinking, according to the survey. 

A large majority of Hispanics, 87 percent, believe that Hispanic immigrants need to learn English to succeed in the U.S. But at the same time, the survey shows, 95 percent of Hispanic adults believe that it’s important for future generations of Hispanics in the U.S. to be able to speak Spanish.

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Virtually every issue the United States contends with promises to be affected by deep currents of change illuminated by demographic shifts. With The Next America, National Journal unveils an unprecedented effort to explore the significant political, economic and social impact of profound racial and cultural changes.

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In 2010, Ronald Brownstein wrote The Gray and the Brown: A Generational Mismatch about America’s shift to an older, more ethnically diverse population and how these changes affect us as a nation.