Pew Enquiry Middle conducted this study to sympathise the role of skin colour in the life experiences of Latino adults. It also measures attitudes of Latinos about race and race relations and their personal experiences with discrimination. In addition, the study explores four different means to measure out racial identity, including an assessment of skin color.

For this analysis we surveyed 3,375 U.S. Hispanic adults in March 2021. This includes 1,900 Hispanic adults on Pew Enquiry Center'southward American Trends Panel (ATP) and 1,475 Hispanic adults on Ipsos' KnowledgePanel. Respondents on both panels are recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. Recruiting panelists by phone or mail ensures that nearly all U.S. adults have a run a risk of selection. This gives us confidence that any sample can represent the whole population (see our Methods 101 explainer on random sampling), or in this instance the whole U.S. Hispanic population.

To further ensure the survey reflects a balanced cross-section of the nation's Hispanic adults, the data is weighted to match the U.South. Hispanic developed population past age, gender, education, nativity, Hispanic origin group and other categories. Read more than about the ATP's methodology. Here are the questions used for our survey of Hispanic adults, along with responses, and its methodology.

The terms Hispanic and Latino are used interchangeably in this report.

Skin color is self-assessed based on a x-step scale, ranging from lightest (one) to darkest (10). Latinos with lighter skin color or Latinos with lighter skin selected one-4 on the calibration while Latinos with darker peel color or Latinos with darker skin selected v-10.

U.Due south. born refers to persons born in the Us and those born in other countries to parents at least one of whom was a U.S. citizen.

Foreign born refers to persons built-in outside of the United States to parents neither of whom was a U.S. denizen. The terms foreign born and immigrant are used interchangeably in this report. For the purposes of this study, foreign born also refers to those born in Puerto Rico. Although individuals born in Puerto Rico are U.S. citizens by nativity, they are included amid the strange born because they are born into a Castilian-dominant culture and because on many points their attitudes, views and behavior are much closer to Hispanics born abroad than to Hispanics born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, even those who place themselves equally being of Puerto Rican origin.

First generation refers to foreign-built-in people. The terms "foreign born," "first generation" and "immigrant" are used interchangeably in this written report.

Second generation refers to people built-in in the 50 states or the District of Columbia, with at least one first-generation, or immigrant, parent.

Third or college generation refers to people built-in in the fifty states or the District of Columbia, with both parents born in the 50 states or the District of Columbia.

Language dominance is a blended measure based on self-described assessments of speaking and reading abilities. Spanish-dominant people are more practiced in Castilian than in English (i.e., they speak and read Spanish "very well" or "pretty well" but charge per unit their English language-speaking and reading ability lower). Bilingual refers to people who are proficient in both English and Spanish. English-dominant people are more than proficient in English language than in Castilian.

The perceived impact of pare colour in the lives of U.S. Latinos is broad. From impacting their ability to get ahead in the land to shaping their daily life experiences to dealing with discrimination, skin color is seen by Latinos as an important gene affecting their lives and life chances.

For U.S. Latinos, skin color shapes life experiences

A majority (62%) of Hispanic adults say having a darker skin color hurts Hispanics' ability to get ahead in the United States today at least a little. A similar share (59%) say having a lighter skin color helps Hispanics go ahead. And 57% say skin color shapes their daily life experiences a lot or some, with about half maxim bigotry based on race or peel color is a "very large trouble" in the U.S. today, according to Pew Enquiry Center's National Survey of Latinos, a bilingual, national survey of iii,375 Hispanic U.Southward. adults conducted in March 2021.

Colorism is a grade of bigotry based on skin color, usually, though not always, favoring lighter skin colour over darker skin color within a racial or ethnic group. While it tin can exist tied to racism, it is non necessarily the aforementioned. (Racism is prejudice directed at members of a racial or ethnic group because of their origin.) For instance, Hispanics in the U.Southward. may confront bigotry because they are Hispanic (a form of racism), but the degree of bigotry may vary based on skin color, with those of darker shades experiencing more than incidents (a class of colorism). And because of colorism'south deep roots in the histories of Latin America and the United States, discrimination based on peel colour can occur amid Hispanics simply equally much equally information technology tin be directed at Hispanics by non-Hispanics.

To measure this dimension of Latino identity in the United states of america, the survey asked respondents to identify the skin color that best resembled their own using a version of the Yadon-Ostfeld pare-color scale. Respondents were shown ten skin colors that ranged from fair to dark (see text box below for the images and scale used). Fully eighty% of Latino adults selected a color between one and four, or lighter skin colors, while 15% selected a color between five and ten on the calibration, or darker skin colors.1

Discrimination and skin color

Colorism in the Americas

Discrimination based on skin color has deep historical roots in Latin America and the Caribbean. Centuries ago, a hierarchical or caste system was established in the Americas, tying privilege, private worth and access to opportunities to 1's pare color, race and birthplace. This was further shaped by the arrival of slaves from Africa across the region and the mixing of Indigenous, European and African populations.

Today, pare color remains an of import determinant of outcomes across the region. Individuals with darker skin achieve lower levels of educational attainment or take less access to health care, for example. And those of lighter pare color experience less discrimination than those of darker skin colour.

Colorism is nowadays in the U.S. also and has similarly impacted the lives of Hispanics, Black Americans and Asian Americans, existing alongside racial bigotry. And it is similarly linked to a number of outcomes. For case, racism may touch on both Hispanics of lighter skin and darker skin colour, but Hispanics with darker skin may experience more than bigotry.

Overall, about half (54%) of Hispanic adults experienced at least 1 of the viii bigotry incidents asked about in the survey, reflecting broader and ongoing experiences with bigotry among U.S. Hispanics no thing their pare color. However, the new survey finds Hispanics with darker skin colour are more than likely to have experienced at least i discrimination incident than Hispanics with lighter skin color. About 2-thirds (64%) of Hispanics with darker pare say they personally experienced at least one of the eight discrimination incidents during the year previous to the survey, while 54% of Hispanics with lighter skin color say the same.

Among the discrimination experiences included in the survey, beingness treated as if they were not smart is the most reported. Some 42% of Latinos with darker skin say this happened to them, as do 34% of Latinos with lighter skin.

The next nigh common discrimination experiences were those directed at Hispanics by non-Hispanics and Hispanics alike, with the chances of these incidents happening linked to pare color. Some 42% of Hispanics with darker skin personally experienced discrimination or were treated unfairly by someone who is not Hispanic, while 29% of those with lighter peel say the same happened to them. And 41% of Hispanics with darker skin say they personally experienced bigotry or were treated unfairly by someone who is Hispanic, while 25% of those who have a lighter skin colour say they too experienced discrimination by someone who is Hispanic.

Hispanics with darker skin more likely to experience discrimination incidents than those with lighter skin

Still, no matter their skin color and despite the notable gap, Latinos are experiencing discrimination. About one-third (32%) of Latinos with darker skin say someone told them to go back to their state, for instance, as did 20% 0f those with lighter peel. Some 33% of Latinos with darker skin say someone criticized them for speaking Castilian in public, equally did 22% of those with lighter skin. And 27% of Latinos with darker peel say they feared for their personal safety while 20% of those with lighter skin say the aforementioned.

While Latinos' skin color is linked to discrimination experiences, those with darker peel and lighter skin akin say skin colour affects opportunity and life experiences in America. For case, majorities of both groups say skin color shapes their daily life experiences – 62% amidst Latinos with darker pare and 57% amid Latinos with lighter skin. And both groups are but as likely to say darker skin color "hurts" Latinos' ability to become ahead in the U.Southward. (63% and 64% respectively). About one-half (49%) of Latinos with lighter peel say discrimination based on race or skin colour is a very big trouble, as practise 41% of those with darker pare.

Bear on of race, skin color is a topic of chat with relatives and friends for Hispanics

A quarter of Latinos say when growing up, family talked to them about the challenges they might face due to their race or ethnicity

Race, skin color and the state of race relations sometimes come in conversations Latinos take with family and friends. Roughly half (48%) say discrimination based on race or skin color is a topic in conversations at to the lowest degree sometimes with friends and relatives. Only these conversations are not happening frequently amid all Latinos. About half (51%) say these conversations with relatives and friends happen rarely (xxx%) or never (21%).

Conversations about racial or skin color discrimination are happening more than oft amidst Hispanics with darker skin than those with lighter skin. Half-dozen-in-ten Hispanics with darker skin color (60%) say they often or sometimes talk with family and friends about bigotry based on race or skin colour, a share that falls to 46% among Hispanics with lighter skin.

And 44% say the topic of U.Due south. race relations ofttimes or sometimes comes up when talking with family and friends. About half (52%) of Hispanics with darker skin say this, every bit do 43% of Hispanics with lighter peel.

Racial identity and experiences with racism take been a office of some Latinos' experiences growing up as well. About one-in-four Latinos (27%) say their family talked to them at least sometimes about the challenges they might face due to their race or ethnicity when they were growing up. This is more common among Latinos who indicate they have darker skin (41%) than amid those who indicate they accept lighter skin (25%).

Capturing skin color among U.S. Hispanics

A self-assessed mensurate of peel color was included in the survey as one of four measures of racial identity. The survey used a version of the Yadon-Ostfeld 10-point skin color scale, where one represents the lightest skin color and 10 the darkest. (The calibration used in the survey is reproduced below.) Survey respondents were asked to select the colour that nigh closely matches their own, even if none of them were exactly correct.

Responses were distributed generally toward lighter skin colors. Eight-in-10 Hispanics selected one of the iv lightest skin colors, with the second-lightest ranking on superlative (28%), followed by the tertiary (21%) and 4th lightest colors (17%). By dissimilarity, xv% of Latino respondents selected one of the six darker peel colors, with only iii% in total selecting ane of the four darkest skin colors (seven-x). For this written report, those who indicated their skin colour is between one and four are identified every bit of a lighter peel color, while those who indicated their pare color is between five and x are identified every bit of a darker skin color.

The distribution of skin color among U.S. Hispanics

One-half of Latinos say there is also piffling national attention on racial problems concerning Latino people

After nearly a year of national engagement over issues of race following the killing of George Floyd in May of 2020 and subsequent nationwide racial justice protests, Latinos are split over whether at that place is besides much or too little attention paid to race and racial bug in the country today. Overall, 37% say that too little attention is paid to these issues, while 36% say there is too much attention and 25% say the amount of attending given to race and racial bug is near the right amount.

Since 2019, fewer Hispanics say too little attention is paid to race and racial issues nationally. Though about half say too little attention is paid to race and racial issues concerning Hispanics

The views of Latinos on this have shifted as the share saying too little attention is paid to race relations has dipped compared with 2019 and 2020, when 50% and 46% of Latinos respectively said the same. At the same time, a growing share say there is too much attention paid to race and racial problems nationally. Some 36% say this today, up from 27% who said the same in 2019.

Even before recent events, Latinos were downbeat near race relations in the U.S. In some other 2019 Pew Research Center survey, 6-in-ten Latinos (60%) said race relations in the country and then were generally bad and getting worse. In the same survey, more Latinos said people not seeing racism where it really does exist was a bigger problem in the land than people seeing racial discrimination where information technology really does non exist.

Yet, when it comes to how much attention is paid to race and racial issues concerning Hispanic people, about half of all Hispanics (51%) say likewise little attention is paid to them today. Amongst Hispanics with darker pare, 57% say too little attention is paid to racial problems concerning Hispanic people, a higher share than the 50% of those with lighter pare colour who say the same.

About as many Hispanics hold this view most the level of national attention paid to race and racial problems apropos Asian people. Over half (55%) of Hispanics say besides little attention is paid to race issues concerning Asian people in the country today. Meanwhile, 29% of Hispanics say the amount of national attending paid to race issues concerning Asian people is virtually right and xiv% say likewise much attention is paid to these bug. (The survey was fielded just as the number of detest and violence incidents focused on Asian Americans drew wide national attention.)

At the same time, 30% of Hispanics say as well piffling attention is paid to race and racial issues related to Black people today, while 45% say also much attention is paid to them and 23% say the correct amount of attention is paid to these issues.

Hispanics often hear other Hispanics brand racially insensitive comments and jokes about Hispanics and non-Hispanics alike

About half of Hispanics hear racially insensitive comments and jokes from relatives and friends

Hispanics are hearing racially insensitive comments and jokes coming from other Hispanics, according to the survey. Nearly one-half (48%) of Hispanic adults say they have frequently or sometimes heard a Hispanic friend or family member brand comments or jokes nigh other Hispanics that might be considered racist or racially insensitive. Like shares of Hispanics who identify with a lighter skin color (48%) or darker peel colour (52%) say they have heard these types of comments or jokes from friends or family at least sometimes.

And 45% of Hispanic adults say the aforementioned about hearing a Hispanic friend or family member make racist or racially insensitive comments or jokes near others who are non Hispanic oftentimes or at least sometimes. Amidst Hispanics with darker peel color, 53% say this, a higher share than among Hispanics with lighter skin color (44%).

This is little changed from 2019, when a similar share of Hispanics (47%) said they heard a Hispanic friend or family member make what might be considered a racist comment about people who are not Hispanic. In the same 2019 survey, half of those who heard these comments or jokes from people close to them said they confronted a friend or family unit member well-nigh it.

While Hispanics say peel color affects their power to become alee in America, other factors are seen every bit important likewise

Most Hispanics say having a college degree, legal status and a lighter skin color are advantages in U.S.

While a majority of Latinos say skin colour impacts Latinos' opportunity in the U.S. today, education and immigration condition are viewed by more every bit having an bear upon on the ability to get ahead.

About viii-in-ten Hispanics (82%) say having a college degree helps the ability of Hispanics to get ahead in the U.S. these days. And 78% say the aforementioned about living in the U.Southward. legally. Both are higher than the 59% proverb a lighter pare color helps Hispanics get alee in America and the 62% saying a darker skin color hurts Hispanics.

When asked if gender affects Hispanics' ability to go ahead in the U.S. today, nearly half (52%) of Hispanics say being a man helps, while 21% say the aforementioned well-nigh being a woman. Roughly 1-in-iii say that being a Hispanic human being or woman is neither an reward nor disadvantage in America today.

For Latinos, discrimination experiences and views about skin color and race are linked

Hispanics who faced discrimination are more likely to say skin color shapes their daily life

Latinos' views on topics related to race or skin color differ past their own experiences with bigotry. Those who reported experiencing at least one of eight specific forms of discrimination asked about in the survey were more likely than those who did not written report one to say having a lighter peel color helps at least a little in the ability of Hispanics to get ahead – 66% vs. 51% respectively.2

Most two-thirds (68%) of Latinos who had a bigotry experience in the past year say skin color shapes their daily life experiences a lot or some, compared with 43% of those who had no discrimination experiences that say the same.

In addition, those who had at least one discrimination feel in the past twelvemonth were more likely than those who did not have such experiences to say discrimination based on race or skin colour is a "very big problem" in the U.S., that bigotry based on skin color comes up frequently or sometimes in conversations with family and friends and that too little attention is paid to race and racial issues in the U.South. these days.