Posted by Elena del Valle on December 3, 2012
U.S. GDP Growth 2013-14 – click to enlarge
Assuming fiscal cliff issues are overcome the economy will continue a steady recovery over the coming two years, according to researchers at Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Our GDP is projected to grow 2 percent next year and 2.8 percent in 2014. Compared to Europe, estimated to remain in a recession and contract through the end of 2012 and into 2013 before reaching a GDP growth of 1.3 percent, the projections for the United States seem positive. Even when compared with GDP growth across the OECD of 1.4 percent for 2013 and 2.3 percent for 2014, the expectations of the United States appear promising.
“The world economy is far from being out of the woods,” said Angel Gurría, secretary-general, OECD during the Economic Outlook launch in Paris last week. “The US ‘fiscal cliff’, if it materialises, could tip an already weak economy into recession, while failure to solve the euro area crisis could lead to a major financial shock and global downturn. Governments must act decisively, using all the tools at their disposal to turn confidence around and boost growth and jobs, in the United States, in Europe, and elsewhere.”
With 50 million jobless people in the OECD area, according to the Outlook it’s no wonder the OECD head expressed concern. The report indicated continued high in employment with a possible rise in many countries “unless structural measures are used to boost near-term employment growth.”
Some developing countries, on the other hand, show desirable growth for the coming twenty four months. China is expected to grow at 8.5 percent next year and 8.9 percent the year after that. Other countries expected to grow at healthy rates are Brazil, India, Indonesia, Russia and South Africa.
Slides of the presentation are available at http://www.slideshare.net/OECD/oecd-economicoutlook92%20 on the OECD website. The mission of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development is to promote policies that will improve the economic and social well-being of people around the world.
Posted by Elena del Valle on November 12, 2012
Earlier this year the National Hispanic Media Coalition (NHMC) released the findings of academic studies and a national poll that outline the role of the media in “breeding hate and shaping public opinion about Latinos and other groups.” The organization’s leadership believes the research presented “underscores the need for accuracy and fairness in our media.”
The research indicates that hate speech on commercial talk radio has led to social network interest in the radio program hosts and their guests; and that this social network passes its content to affiliated social media websites, resulting in voices promoting hatred toward people of color, people of certain religions and LGBT people. According to the report, “Media personalities and political figures representing the Republican Party and/or affiliated with the Tea Party dominate the social network, leaving little room for alternate points of view. Media powerhouses such as Premiere Radio Networks, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications, and Fox News are key components of this social network.”
A poll of non-Latino Americans found that their source of news is often television. Sixty six percent of respondents to the poll said they watch major network and cable newscasts for information and 30 percent said they trust Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks or online-only news sources. These individuals rely on news and entertainment media in forming impressions about Latinos and immigrants, according to poll analysts. The poll led researchers to conclude that Latinos and immigrants are commonly portrayed negatively in news and entertainment media prompting many non-Latinos to believe that “media-promoted negative stereotypes about these groups are true.”
The poll analysis indicates that conservative talk radio and Fox News audiences while less likely to be personally familiar with Latinos are more likely to hold anti-immigrant and anti-Latino views. Some survey respondents erroneously, according to the executive summary, believe that Latinos and undocumented immigrants are the same, and 17 percent of survey respondents said they believe that the majority of United States Latinos are undocumented.
The results of the studies were published in the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center. They are: Quantifying Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio from November 2011, Social Networks for Hate Speech Commercial Talk Radio and New Media from July 2012 by Chon A. Noriega, director, UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, and Francisco Javier Iribarren and Using Biological Marketers to Measure Stress in Listeners of Commercial Talk Radio by Hermes J. Garban, Iribarren and Noriega.
The UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center supports interdisciplinary, collaborative, and policy-oriented research. The W.K. Kellogg Foundation provided support to make the research possible. Matt A. Barreto, Sylvia Manzano, and Gary Segura of Latino Decisions produced and designed the research study, and implemented the data collection. The National Hispanic Media Coalition was founded in 1986 to increase positive portrayals of Latinos in media, based on a fundamental understanding that the media has the power to shape opinions of and behavior towards Latinos and other demographic groups.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 31, 2012
Seleccion Tequila
Photos: Casa Herradura
Tough economic times are not dampening the spirit of fine tequila drinkers. Just in time for the holiday season tequila maker Casa Herradura recently announced new refined primary and secondary packaging for its high-end, extra añejo Selección Suprema tequila, first produced in 1995, designed to appeal to tequila connoisseurs and aficionados among men thirty years of age and older.
A brand spokesperson described the target customers as “sophisticated males who appreciate Herradura and the desire to share the best life has to offer with closest friends.” The 750 milliliter bottle sells for $350. The new packaging was expected to arrive at stores by the end of October.
Seleccion Tequila – click to enlarge
“The refinements are meant to better reflect the quality and sophistication of the tequila within and align the packaging with the rest of the Herradura brand family,” said Valdemar Cantu, brand manager Herradura.
Seleccion Tequila bottle and box
The new package features an earth-tone box with a bi-fold opening with the brand’s horseshoe on the bottom right panel. The center interior of the box props and cradles the bottle on a fitted pedestal. The new packaging was designed by Johnny Cardenas, design director for Brown-Forman. Once opened, the bi-fold panels display the story of the tequila handcrafted in Amatitán, Jalisco Mexico following “traditional production methods” and aged for 49 months in American white oak barrels. Although the glass container remains unchanged, a copper finish metal die cast horseshoe, a copper neck band, and a brand mark update were added as well as an authenticating strip label signed by Master Distiller Maria Teresa Lara.
Casa Herradura has been hand harvesting, handcrafting and estate bottling tequilas in Jalisco, Mexico since 1870. In 2007, Casa Herradura was acquired by Brown-Forman Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky. Brown-Forman is a producer and marketer of beverages and alcohol brands.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 29, 2012
Border Patrol officers use All Terrain Vehicles to patrol the border with Mexico
Photo: U.S. Department of Homeland Security
In the first half of this year more people entered the United States illegally through Mexico and fewer migrants returned to Mexico, according to researchers on both sides of the border. Such traffic numbers were unusual in that 2007 was the last time researchers saw growth in border crossing numbers toward the United States.
Staff at The Mexican Migration Monitor, a joint project of The Colegio de la Frontera Norte and the Tomas Rivera Policy Institute at the University of Southern California, estimate there are some 11.7 million Mexican born people living in the United States including documented and undocumented immigrants. That number may increase slightly by the end of the year, according to the two organizations. The principal investigators of the Monitor are Roberto Suro and Rene Zenteno. The academics rely in part on the Border Survey of Mexican Migration said to be “the oldest continuous research program tracking original data on the number of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, with the objective of providing unbiased estimates of Mexican labor flows.”
They believe that the numbers indicate the size of the Mexican-born population in the United States has fully recovered from the decreases caused by or following the Great Recession. Recently, unemployment among those migrants, they point out, has dropped and labor force participation rates have held up indicating that the economic performance of the undocumented immigrants from this group may be slightly better than for native-born workers in the United States.
Another indicator considered by researchers of Mexico to United States border crossing and economic trends is the transfer of money from Mexicans in the United States to relatives in Mexico. The researchers have concluded that remittance levels have recovered lost ground following two years of growth post Great Recession.
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 1, 2012
Espresso-based beverages are popular among Hispanics
Photo: HispanicMPR
Hispanics like to drink coffee more than other racial and ethnic groups. They begin drinking coffee earlier than other groups and in their older years are more likely to be exclusive coffee drinkers; and 74 percent of Hispanic-Americans drink coffee daily, twelve percentage points ahead of other Americans. As they become acculturated they mimic the attitudes and behaviors of non Hispanic coffee drinkers, according to Ethnicity and Coffee: Focus on Hispanic-American and African-American Coffee Consumption Across the U.S. Market, a new study by the National Coffee Association, part of the organization’s NCA Market Research Series.
The study examined coffee consumption on a past-day, past-week and past-year basis. The researchers concluded Hispanic American respondents were more likely than Caucasians and African Americans to consume coffee on a past-day, past-week and past-year basis.
Hispanic American respondents to the survey were more likely compared to Caucasian and African American respondents to drink decaffeinated coffee and espresso-based beverages on a past-day basis. On a past-week and past-year basis, Hispanic American consumers were more likely compared to Caucasians and African Americans, to drink espresso-based beverages. The interviews led the Association researchers to the conclusion that higher past-week penetration among Hispanic Americans is driven by cappuccino and espresso; and that they are more likely to consume both of these beverages on a past-week basis.
The Association surveyed 2,955 Hispanic, Caucasian, African American and Asian and Other individuals. In order to be certain of the tastes and behaviors of Hispanics that group was over represented; one thousand Latinos were interviewed. To make sure the over representation did not bias the results when the researchers profiled the overall population the final dataset was weighted based on age, gender, region and ethnicity to match the U.S. population based on the 2010 U.S. census.
The breakdown by country of origin or geographic area among the Hispanics interviewed for this project was: from Mexico (502), Other (137), Puerto Rico (132), Cuba (81), and Dominican Republic (52). By language preference (defined as level of acculturation by the researchers): Spanish Dominant (336), Bilingual (312) and English Dominant (269).
The National Coffee Association of U.S.A, Inc. (NCA), established in 1911, is a trade organization for the coffee industry in the United States. Its leaders strives to serve all segments of the domestic coffee industry, including traditional and specialty companies. A majority of NCA membership, which accounts for over 90 percent of United States coffee commerce (according to the organization website), is comprised of small and mid-sized companies and includes growers, roasters, retailers, importer, exporters, wholesaler, suppliers and allied industry businesses.
Posted by Elena del Valle on September 24, 2012
U.S. Poverty by State 2011 – click to enlarge
Graphic: U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2011
Median household income remained mostly unchanged between 2010 and 2011 in 32 states and the District of Columbia, according to the U.S. Census report Household Income for States: 2010 and 2011. Last year, median household income ranged from $36,919 in Mississippi to $70,004 in Maryland.
The median household income nationally was $50,502. It was lower than the national median in 27 states and higher in 19 states and the District of Columbia. North Dakota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Pennsylvania median household incomes did not have a statistically significant difference from the U.S. as a whole.
Poverty numbers, unlike median household income numbers, increased in 17 states for the same time period according to the report Poverty: 2010 and 2011, which compares poverty rates in 2010 and 2011 for the nation, states and large metropolitan areas. At the state level, New Hampshire (8.8 percent) had the lowest poverty rate, and Mississippi (22.6 percent) had one of the highest poverty rates. The map above illustrates how most of the bottom half of the country, marked in purple, has a high percent of poverty.
In metro areas with populations of 500,000 or more, poverty rates ranged from a low of 8.3 percent in the Washington metro area, to 37.7 percent in McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, Texas. For 10 states, this was the third consecutive annual increase in the number and percentage of people in poverty.
In five states, the number of people in poverty increased but the poverty rates did not go up. Between the 2010 and 2011 American Community Survey, the percentage and number of people in poverty in Vermont declined.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 27, 2012
Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women cover
Photo: Forbes
For nine years Forbes has compiled a list of 100 Most Powerful Women around the world. German Angela Merkel was at the top followed by Hillary Clinton in this year’s recently released list. The cover is occupied by Dilma Rousseff, president, Brazil and number three on the list. The magazine dedicated pages 64 to 69 to her. Of the top ten women on the list six are from the United States and there is at least one Latina, Jennifer Lopez in the Celebrity category, among the 100 influential women from around the globe. She appears in the thirty eighth spot.
Some Latinas like Shakira and Sofia Vergara among the celebrities and several in other categories who United States audiences may recognize appear on the list but they are listed in the country where they reside. In the case of Shakira and Sofia Vergara that is Colombia. While 28 countries are represented 61 of the women reside in the United States.
Although there is no list of most powerful men there is a list of Most Powerful People due to be released later this year. A spokesperson declined to identify “how much time it takes to report for our lists.”
For this year’s list the publication selected the 100 most influential women from seven categories or power bases: billionaires, business, lifestyle (including entertainment and fashion), media, nonprofits/NGOs, politics and technology. Staff assigned the rank within each category, as well as overall rank on the list of 100, by applying three metrics: money, media presence and impact.
For the money metric, the staff took into account 2011 company revenue and market value if it was available for business, media and tech; for lifestyle salary, they relied on the Forbes 2012 Celebrity 100; for GDP, politics and net worth they looked at the Forbes 2012 World’s Billionaires list for those with 10-figure bank accounts; and women from nonprofits/NGOs were rated on dollars spent fulfilling the organization’s mission.
They took into consideration media component accounts for news hits (Factiva) and TV and radio appearances (Nexis) from the past 12 months, as well as number of followers on social media channels Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as of July 2012. They scored candidates on their impact including “the extent of their reach across industries, cultures and countries, the number of spheres of influence and people they affect and how actively they wield their power.”
The top names from the United States were: Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State, United States; Melinda Gates, co-chair, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; Jill Abramson, executive editor, New York Times Co.; Michelle Obama, first lady, United States; Janet Napolitano, secretary, Department of Homeland Security, United States; Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook; Oprah Winfrey, entrepreneur; Indra Nooyi, chairman and CEO, PepsiCo; and Irene Rosenfeld, chairman and CEO, Kraft.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 20, 2012
Hispanics Top 5 weekly online activities – click to enlarge
Graphic: Mintel
Hispanics spend an average of $150 per month on entertainment products and activities; and Latino families who earn between $50,000 and $74,900 a year are more likely to spend less than $100 per month on entertainment, according to a Mintel survey of adults conducted in March 2012. In general, the results of the survey reveal that that market segment is being frugal and thrifty in its entertainment spending. For many Hispanics cost plays a major role in their decisions about entertainment, according to the survey.
“Due to financial restraints, Hispanics are enjoying more in-home activities rather than spending their discretionary funds on out-of-home paid events,” said Adam Jacobson, multicultural analyst, Mintel. “Watching a movie on TV or reading a book or magazine is taking a front seat to more financially-driven experiences, such as dining out or going to live sporting events.”
A little more than one third (36 percent) of Latino respondents to the Mintel survey indicated they watch a movie on TV more than three times per week. One third of respondents said they like to read a book or magazine in Spanish; 40 percent of Hispanics said they like eating out one to three times per month; 34 percent said they attend a sporting event, and 30 percent said they planed to attend a street festival in the next three months.
For Latinos going out dining and the movies were popular entertainment options. More than half (53 percent) of respondents said they had seen a feature film in a theater at least once in the last year and 42 percent said they planned to go to the movies in the following three months.
Mintel researchers concluded that movie theaters might benefit from targeting Latino movie goers with concession items that appeal to Hispanics or family discount programs since as a group Hispanics tend to have larger families than non-Hispanics.
Another form of in home entertainment was online surfing. Many (77 percent) survey respondents said they connect with friends on social networking sites such as Facebook or Myspace. More than one third (36 percent) of Hispanic adults who took the survey said they visit their social networking websites thrice a day or more often using mobile devices. More than half (65 percent) of Latino survey takers who spent time online said they have a smartphone, and 31 percent said they have an iPad or tablet.
Although language preference didn’t seem to impact the amount of money respondents said they spent on entertainment, the percent of monies available varied by gender. Hispanic women said they were spending 40 percent less on entertainment than Hispanic men, regardless of their household income. Volunteerism was not popular among survey respondents regardless of their income level.
Information about the report, Hispanics and Entertainment US June 2012, was released this month. The survey was conducted among 1,026 adults online and respondents had the option to take it in English or Spanish. The complete 124-page report costs $3,995.
Posted by Elena del Valle on August 6, 2012
Top institutions awarding certificates/degrees to Latinos in STEM 2009 to 2010 by academic level – click to enlarge
Latinos earned only few (8 percent) certificates and degrees in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) mostly from 25 institutions of higher learning, according to a recent Excelencia in Education report released last week. Excelencia, a nonprofit organization, strives to accelerate higher education success for Latino students.
“This analysis is straightforward: we know where Latinos are earning their degrees in STEM and we know what some of these institutions are doing, with intentionality, to improve Latino success in STEM fields,” said Deborah Santiago, author of the report and co-founder, Excelencia in Education. “What we need to determine now is whether more institutions and more employers will seize the opportunity to educate and employ more Latinos in professional STEM fields.”
In 2011, Latinos in the STEM workforce were more likely to be in lower paying service occupations such as electrical, electronics, and electromechanical assemblers, telecommunications line installers and repairers, and aircraft mechanics and service technicians rather than better paid professional occupations such architectural and engineering managers and computer and information systems managers.
Since the average age of Hispanics is lower than that of the general population and there is a high number of Latinos entering the workforce the findings are significant. The Executive Summary of the report indicates: “Given the relative youth of the Latino population relative to the aging of the u.s. population overall, supporting the increased growth of Latinos with postsecondary credentials in sTeM is critical to meeting the projected workforce needs of the nation by 2020.”
In 2009 to 2010, the top 25 institutions awarding undergraduate degrees or certificates to Latinos in STEM were in Texas, Florida, California, Arizona, Illinois, New Mexico and Puerto Rico. That same year, 60 percent of degrees conferred to Latinos in the science and related files were bachelor degrees, making those students most likely to enter service occupations in their chosen fields.
The 37-page report, Finding Your Workforce: The Top 25 Institutions Graduating Latinos in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) by Academic Level (2009-10), was authored by Santiago, vice president for policy and research, and Megan Soliz, research assistant, Excelencia.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 25, 2012
Fewer young people are obtaining a driver’s license, according to researchers at University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute
Photo: HispanicMPR.com
Research conducted by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle of the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Ann Arbor, Michigan indicates again that fewer young people, compared to previous decades, are obtaining a driver’s license. The researchers reviewed driver license and general population information from the Federal Highway Administration and the United States Census Bureau to find that the trend they had identified in the past continues. As an example, they point to drivers 19 years of age. Their findings indicate 87.3, 75.5, and 69.5 percent of these individuals had a driver’s license in 1983, 2008, and 2010 respectively.
“The most significant aspect of our findings is that the trend that we observed in a previous study is continuing,” said Sivak by email. “Specifically, young and middle-aged persons are less likely to get a driver’s license now than were the corresponding age groups 30 years ago. We think that the availability of electronic communication has a lot to do with this trend.”
Earlier this year (see Older adults more likely drivers than in past decades), after examining data for 1983 to 2008 in the United States and 14 other countries they concluded there was a noticeable decrease in the percent of young people obtaining a driver’s license and an increase in the percent of older people with one. They have since examined additional data in the United States through 2010 that indicates the trend continues for young people and that there is a reduction in the proportionate number of driver’s licenses across age groups.
They still believe the trend relates inversely to the continued increase in internet usage. They concluded that the more people rely on the internet for contact the less they require in person contact.
It’s unclear whether the trend applies to all market segments. Hispanics which as a market are younger than the general market may be affected. A Ford Motor Company representative when asked about the trend responded negatively.
“For Hispanic consumers cars are a symbol of freedom, accomplishment and status,” said Alvaro Cabal, manager, Multicultural Communication, Ford Motor Company.
Except in cities with efficient mass transportation systems like New York and Washington, D.C., the research findings are not in evidence in car buying behavior, he explained by phone. He went on to say that since the 2008 recession when car sales dropped the company has experienced a steady increase in car purchases, especially among 18 to 45 year old buyers.
