In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S. (September 15th-October 15th), ENGINE Insights conducted a survey to discover Americans’ views on how well they think advertising, media, and brands are doing in its representation of the Hispanic culture and response to the community.
The celebration began as a way to promote the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic-Americans—specifically, those whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
Interestingly, the survey finds that 43 percent of Americans do not think that the Hispanic culture is adequately represented in the mainstream media. It’s even higher among Hispanics—52 percent don’t think their culture is adequately represented in the mainstream media.
The findings also show that 42 percent of Americans feel that the Hispanic culture is not accurately portrayed in the media (52 percent among Hispanics). Furthermore, 41 percent of Americans do not feel the Hispanic culture is accurately portrayed in advertising, that number rises to 56 percent among Hispanics.
There are also some generational differences to report as well. When asked whether they thought that brands should take a stand on issues impacting the Hispanic community, 53 percent of Gen Zers responded “yes,” compared to 46 percent of Millennials, 31 percent of Gen Xers, and 29 percent of Baby Boomers.
