Trans-Adaptation: Acculturation
Because the Hispanic market is evolving, another important factor that should be taken into consideration when designing a U.S. Hispanic study is Acculturation, the process by which a person learns to accommodate to a new culture. This journey can take different forms – some willingly embrace the American way of life and rapidly rush to adjust to it, others rebel and refuse to conform to the new culture.
Most Hispanics fall somewhere in the middle of the acculturation spectrum; they embrace certain elements of the new culture while still maintaining certain cultural elements from their Hispanic backgrounds thus becoming “Partially Acculturated” – the largest segment among the U.S. Hispanic population. When measuring acculturation levels, some of the factors we take into consideration include:
- Place of birth – foreign born vs. 2nd generation and beyond
- Use of Spanish language – both at home, at work or with friends
- Media consumption patterns
- Psychographics/attitudes
Because the level of acculturation has an impact on consumer attitudes and behavior, it can be an important factor on how best to market to these consumers. Therefore, it is an important consideration in both the overall design and insight delivery of any research conducted among the US Hispanic market.
Factors Impacting The U.S. Hispanic Acculturation Process
- Spanish-language infrastructure
- De-stigmatization of the Spanish language & Hispanic Heritage
- Dispersion of Hispanics across the U.S.
- Inexpensive communication options