Every year, Nielsen has the opportunity to reflect on the instrumental, increasing and evolving role Latinos play in the U.S. in our annually released Diverse Intelligence Series Hispanic Consumer reports. This year’s report, 从投票箱到杂货店：2016年西班牙裔在美国影响力增长透视, provided us with a unique opportunity to also consider how Hispanics are going to impact the future of this great nation.
The juggernaut growth of the U.S. Hispanic population is well documented. Hispanics are now the nation’s largest ethnic demographic, making up 18% of the population. They are redefining the essence of American culture as multicultural in everything—from taco trucks to the record-breaking Broadway show Hamilton. That ambicultural influence—an embrace of both Latino and American identities—can only expand as almost a third of Americans will have Latino heritage by 2060, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Hispanics are also quietly reshaping the economic and political bedrock of American society, which has important implications as we advance into the 21st century. Consider this week’s presidential race. Hispanic voter registration across the country has soared this year, outpacing other demographic groups. Hispanics now make up 12% of November’s electorate, and 65% of those 27 million Latinos eligible to vote are under the age of 44.
近三分之一的西班牙裔选民认为自己是独立人士。此外，一半以上的独立选民表示，他们既不倾向于民主党，也不倾向于共和党。换句话说，他们是关键的摇摆选民，能够对佛罗里达州和内华达州等战场州的选举结果产生关键影响。
经济方面也有同样的情况。拉美裔美国人拥有 5700 万人口，为美国经济贡献了 1.3 万亿美元，略低于 10%。从这个角度来看，这比澳大利亚或西班牙的国内生产总值还要大。事实上，自 2000 年以来，拉丁裔购买力增长了 167%，是同期非西班牙裔购买力 76% 增长率的两倍多。
That’s the clear result of rapidly rising Latino incomes. Almost half of Hispanic households with U.S.-born individuals now earn more than $50,000 annually. This trend has powerful ripple effects on our consumer-driven economy, as well as on measures of national stability such as home ownership. And it’s well on track to continue, with Hispanic buying power expected to hit $1.7 trillion by 2020.
深入研究这一趋势，我们会发现，这种经济上的成功是受教育程度不断提高所推动的。西班牙裔现在是大学校园里最大的少数民族群体。1993 年至 2013 年间，18 岁至 24 岁的西班牙裔人进入两年制或四年制大学的人数增加了两倍多。最重要的是，2012 年至 2014 年间，74% 的西班牙裔女高中毕业生进入大学学习，超过了非西班牙裔白人和非裔美国人。
All the numbers add up to one thing: The U.S. Hispanic population is rapidly coming into its own, and its impact on America is going to be remarkable. Understanding these insights is critical for our clients; helping them to stay ahead of the latest trends and marketing opportunities necessary to grow is at the heart of what we do at Nielsen. If there’s one piece of advice I could offer our clients, it’s that without a strategy to connect with diverse consumers, you’re without a long term growth and sustainability strategy for your business.
Monica Gil 是尼尔森公司高级副总裁兼多元文化发展与战略部总经理。
