More than half of U.S. Latinos admit they have been made to feel guilty by other Latinos for speaking little to no Spanish, according to a poll published Wednesday.
The Pew Research Center survey found that 54% of Latinos who speak little or no Spanish have been shamed about it by other Latinos.
The survey — released amid National Hispanic American Heritage Month — also found that 40% of all Latino adults "often" or "extremely often" hear their family and friends mock other Latinos who cannot speak Spanish or do not speak it well. Another 29% said they sometimes hear the same thing.
While most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish, with 40 million Latinos using the language at home, only 75% of those surveyed said they can carry on a conversation in Spanish "pretty well" or "very well."
When it comes to Latinos from the third generation onward, only 34% said they can carry on a Spanish-language conversation "pretty well," with only 14% saying they can do the same "very well."
DEMOCRATS LOSE SUPPORT FROM LATINOS AS 1 IN 3 SAY NEITHER PARTY CARES MORE ABOUT THEM: POLL
Another 85% of those who took part in the survey said they believe it is somewhat important for future generations of Latinos in the U.S. to speak Spanish, and 80% said it is not necessary to speak Spanish in order to be considered a Latino.
Latinos from Central America (79%) think it is important for future generations to have the ability to speak Spanish, compared to other groups like South Americans (65%), Mexicans (64%), Cubans (63%) and Puerto Ricans (59%).
Eighty-eight percent of Latino Democrats who responded, compared to 80% of Latino Republicans, believe it is "somewhat important" that future generations know how to speak Spanish. Thirty-six percent of Latino Democrats said it is "extremely important," compared to 26% of Latino Republicans who said the same.
Among Latinos who were surveyed, 63%, also admitted to sometimes speaking Spanglish – a mix of the Spanish and English language.
The survey, which included responses from 3,029 Latinos, focused primarily on U.S. Latinos' views on Spanish – the most commonly used non-English language in the United States.
