U.S. Hispanics Are Divided on Whether Their Identity Helps or Hurts Them in America

U.S. Hispanics are divided over whether their ethnic identity helps or hinders their progress, with political affiliation and immigrant generation shaping sharply different views, according to new Pew Research Center surveys.

A survey conducted in October 2025 found that 61% of Hispanic adults say being Hispanic is an extremely or very important part of how they think about themselves ^[1]. At the same time, 33% say being Hispanic hurts their ability to get ahead a lot or a little, while 26% say it helps and 40% say it makes no difference ^[1]. Hispanics are the second-largest racial or ethnic group in the U.S., accounting for about one-in-five people in the country ^[1].

Views diverge significantly by political leaning. Hispanic Democrats are more likely than Hispanic Republicans to say they were discriminated against or were treated unfairly because of their Hispanic background by someone who is not Hispanic ^[1]. Among 2024 voters, a majority of Hispanic Trump voters, 57%, said being Hispanic neither helps nor hurts them, while 39% of Hispanic Harris voters saw their identity as a disadvantage ^[1].

Immigrant generation also correlates with identity perception. Hispanic immigrants are more likely than U.S.-born Hispanics to say their Hispanic identity is extremely or very important to how they see themselves ^[1]. About three-quarters of Hispanics say Hispanics in the U.S. have many different cultures ^[1].

The surveys also examined the labels Hispanics use to describe themselves. 84% of U.S. Hispanics have used a pan-ethnic term to describe themselves at least once in their lives, and 80% have ever used their family's country of origin on its own ^[2]. 59% have used the standalone term "American" at least once ^[2]. When asked about their most-often-used label, 53% say it includes their origin country, either alone or combined with the term "American," while 27% say their top label uses a pan-ethnic term ^[2].

Hispanics are evenly divided on whether they see themselves as a "typical American," with 48% considering themselves typical and 51% considering themselves very different ^[2]. The findings are based on the Center's National Survey of Latinos, conducted among 4,923 Latino adults in English and Spanish ^[1].