What Is the Difference Between Hispanic and Latino in Market Research?

TL;DR: Hispanic refers to people from Spanish-speaking countries (Mexico, Colombia, Spain), while Latino refers to people from Latin America (including Brazil, excluding Spain). In market research, this distinction matters because it affects language preference, cultural values, media consumption, and purchasing behavior — getting it wrong means recruiting the wrong sample and drawing flawed conclusions.

Hispanic vs. Latino: The Key Distinction

These two terms are often used interchangeably, but they carry distinct meanings that have real consequences for how you design and execute research.

• Hispanic is tied to the Spanish language and Spain's former colonies. It includes Spain but excludes Brazil.

• Latino/Latina/Latinx is tied to Latin American geography. It includes Brazil but excludes Spain.

• Many people identify as both — for example, a Mexican-American is both Hispanic and Latino.

• Some individuals prefer one term over the other — regional and generational differences exist and should inform your research design.

• The U.S. Census uses "Hispanic or Latino" as a combined category, which can obscure important sub-group distinctions for research purposes.

Why It Matters for Market Research

Using these terms imprecisely in your research design creates downstream errors that can invalidate your findings. Here is where the distinction becomes operationally critical:

• Panel recruitment: If you recruit Hispanics you may miss Brazilian consumers entirely, or inadvertently include Spanish nationals from Spain — two groups whose consumer behaviors differ significantly from your intended audience.

• Survey language: Not all Latinos speak Spanish. Brazilians speak Portuguese, and many second- and third-generation U.S. Latinos are English-dominant or bilingual. Defaulting to a Spanish-only survey excludes or alienates large segments.

• Cultural nuance: Caribbean Latinos, Central Americans, and South Americans have distinct cultural values, food preferences, and media habits. Treating them as a monolithic group leads to shallow insights and missed opportunities.

• Acculturation levels: A first-generation Colombian immigrant and a third-generation Mexican-American in Texas have very different brand relationships, media consumption patterns, and purchasing motivations — despite both being Hispanic.

Best Practices for Inclusive Research Design

Precision in terminology at the design stage pays dividends in data quality. These best practices help ensure your research accurately captures the audience you intend to study:

• Define your target precisely: Are you studying Spanish-dominant consumers? Bilingual millennials? All Latin American heritage groups? The answer should drive every downstream methodological decision.

• Use multi-dimensional screener questions: Capture country of origin, generation in the U.S., primary language, and self-identification. A single question about Hispanic/Latino heritage is rarely sufficient.

• Do not assume language equals culture: A fully English-dominant respondent can be deeply bicultural. Surveying only in Spanish systematically excludes acculturated Latinos whose opinions are equally valid.

• Consider acculturation scales: Validated instruments like the Bidimensional Acculturation Scale help quantify how closely respondents identify with Latino vs. U.S. mainstream culture — providing a richer segmentation variable than self-identification alone.

• Partner with culturally fluent researchers: Translation capability is not the same as cultural fluency. Work with a research firm that understands the nuances between and within these populations — not just one that can convert a questionnaire into Spanish.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a person be Hispanic but not Latino?

Yes. Someone from Spain is Hispanic (Spanish-speaking heritage) but not Latino (not from Latin America). Conversely, someone from Brazil is Latino but not Hispanic, since Portuguese — not Spanish — is the national language. Understanding this distinction is foundational for any research targeting these populations.

Is Latinx widely used among the communities it refers to?

Surveys consistently show that Latinx has low adoption rates among the communities it intends to describe — typically in the low single digits. For research screeners and survey questions, Hispanic, Latino/Latina, or Latin American remain more broadly understood and accepted. Using Latinx in consumer-facing materials can introduce confusion or inadvertently signal cultural distance.

How does acculturation affect consumer research with Hispanic and Latino populations?

Acculturation level is often a stronger predictor of consumer behavior than ethnic self-identification alone. Highly acculturated Latinos may share more behavioral traits with the general U.S. market, while less acculturated individuals may be more heavily influenced by country-of-origin norms. Research that ignores acculturation flattens these differences and produces misleading averages.

What languages should I offer for surveys targeting Hispanic or Latino consumers?

At minimum, offer both English and Spanish for U.S.-based research targeting Hispanic consumers. If your sample includes Brazilians or other Portuguese-speaking populations, add a Portuguese option. For broad pan-Latino research, bilingual survey instruments with respondent-selected language are the gold standard — they improve response quality and reduce non-response bias among language-minority groups.

How CrowdAnswers Can Help

Getting Hispanic and Latino market research right requires more than a Spanish-language survey and a diverse panel. It requires deep cultural fluency built over years of field experience. CrowdAnswers brings that expertise to every engagement:

• 20+ years of Hispanic and Latin American market research expertise serving Fortune 500 companies

• Bilingual research team that understands the nuances between and within Hispanic and Latino populations — not just translation capability

• Custom panel recruitment across all Hispanic and Latino sub-segments — by country of origin, generation, language dominance, and acculturation level

• Proven methodology for designing culturally responsive surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews

Contact CrowdAnswers at crowdanswers.com/contact or call (786) 400-8379 to discuss your next Hispanic or Latino market research study.