To Reach Hispanic Boomers, Look Beyond Language

Hispanic Boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964) account for approximately 10 percent of the U.S. Boomer segment - over 7 million consumers - but should not be segmented by language alone, a Focalyst study concludes (pdf), MarketingCharts reports.

“Marketers need to look beyond language and understand the demographic, attitudinal and behavioral differences within the Hispanic Boomer market in order to reach this target,” said Jack Lett, executive director of Focalyst.

Two in three Hispanic Boomers are “more acculturated,” considered either “Bicultural” or “Acculturated” (see pie chart), Focalyst said:

• Bicultural Hispanics - 24 percent of Hispanic Boomers - are U.S.-born or foreign-born and have lived many years in the U.S.; they are bilingual and consume both English and Spanish media; they identify with aspects of both cultures.
• Acculturated Hispanics - 41 percent - are U.S.-born and English-dominant; they consume English media; and they identify strongly with American culture, but still keep ties with their Hispanic culture.
• Unacculturated Hispanics - 35 percent - are foreign-born and speak Spanish in the home; they consume more Spanish than non-Spanish media; and they identify strongly with their native culture.

Demographic Profile

(See demographic profile table.)

The study found that Bicultural Hispanic Boomers…

• Earn 23 percent less income on average than General Market Boomers ($56,607 compared with $73,921) - though they are equally likely to be employed (77 percent).
• Are more likely to be married or partnered (75 percent) than both Acculturated (64 percent) and General Market Boomers (69 percent).
• Are less likely to be college educated - 55 percent of them have a college education, compared with 69 percent of Acculturated Boomers and 73 percent of General Market Boomers.

Family

Hispanic Boomers live in larger households (3.3 people per household vs. 2.9 for the General Market), often made up of younger children, adult children, or older relatives; Bicultural households have the largest household composition (3.6 people) - see table.

In addition…

• Acculturated Boomers are the most likely to be a caregiver for a family member, with 14 percent recently taking on this role.
• Besides supporting larger households, one in four Hispanic Boomers are providing substantial financial support to someone outside of their homes.

Future Plans

(View charts of life goals and importance of cultural ties/family to Hispanic Boomers.)

Acculturated Hispanic Boomers are more likely to aspire to continue their education (28 percent), whereas Bicultural Hispanics have more entrepreneurial desires - 32 percent said they want to start a new business, compared with 17 percent of General Market Boomers.

More findings:

• More than half (51 percent) of Bicultural Hispanic Boomers said it is important that their family think they are doing well.
• Fully 86 percent of Bicultural Hispanic Boomers agreed that they have been fortunate in life, and 80 percent said they have accomplished a great deal - more so than General Market (77 percent) and Acculturated (76 percent) Boomers.