Market researchers provide insights on Latino family in online recording
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 7, 2006
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa discuss the Latino family
Photos: Brenda Hurley, Liria Barbosa
There are 42 million Latinos living in the United States, and one out of every four children is of Hispanic descent. Latino market researchers Brenda Hurley, vice president of C & R Research, and Liria Barbosa, senior research analyst of C & R Research, provide insights and information on Latino family culture in the recently released online recording “Latino Family Dynamics.” Hurley and Barbosa recorded “Latino Family Dynamics” in March 2006 with HispanicMPR.com host Elena del Valle. The two-hour recording is available for download as an MP3 file in the Resources Section of HispanicMPR.com for $69.95 and $89.95 on CD and delves into the Latino family culture.
“Understanding the Latino family dynamic helps you understand where opportunities lie. For example, Hispanic households are larger than non-Hispanic households, therefore they index higher on purchasing items such as soap and detergent,” said Hurley. “Family is at the heart of the Latino household, therefore, they make an effort to do things together as a family and get together with extended family regularly and for special celebrations.”
For “Latino Family Dynamics,” Hurley and Barbosa used different research methods, consisting of demographic statistics obtained through the U.S. Census and interview techniques including surveys. They also used photojournalism photographing Hispanic family households and a wide variety of their celebrations.
“As the Hispanic population grows, the bicultural segment of the population is also growing. Due to globalization, Internet and Cable TV, the newly arrived are acculturating at a faster rate,” said Barbosa. “Those who are fully acculturated have also developed an interest for learning about their roots and therefore start retro-acculturating. In certain areas of the country, such as many cities in Texas and Miami, Hispanics are the majority of the population. In those areas, the Hispanic culture is very intertwined with mainstream culture. Spanish language radio is more popular than English, the typical meals are a fusion of the Hispanic and American foods and common Spanish words are used on an everyday basis along with English.”
Hurley and Barbosa discuss several topics regarding Latino families. Among the topics included are adapting general market messages when targeting Latinos, educational differences between U.S. born and foreign born Latinos, their purchasing habits, their family characteristics, their extended families, family responsibilities, identifying the decision maker and information provider within a family, family activities, interaction between generations, impact of acculturation on the family, and future trends.
“Diversity exists even inside the typical U.S. Hispanic household. It is not uncommon for different members of the household to have different nationalities, language preferences and language proficiency,” said Barbosa.
Barbosa is a graduate of the Burke Institute Intensive Moderator Training Program, and has a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. She has headed projects including initial design, recruitment, execution, moderation, analysis and final written reports. Hurley has provided custom research solutions for her clients utilizing online and offline methodologies. Her involvement in the development of CRIMSON (C & R’s Multimedia Surveying Network) enabled her to design and execute studies using the system. Barbosa and Hurley work for Latino Eyes, a division of C & R Research. — Sergio Carmona
“Latino Family Dynamics” audio recording
Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa
To purchase a downloadable or CD audio recording with extended information on Latino Family Dynamics by Brenda Hurley and Liria Barbosa visit the HispanicMPR.com Resources Section.
