A new poll finds that the gender-neutral term for people of Latin descent isn’t popular. But, says one expert, maybe that’s the point.
This is the web version of raceAhead, Fortune’s daily newsletter on race, culture, and inclusive leadership. To get it delivered daily to your inbox, sign up here.
Mario Carrasco, the co-founder and principal of ThinkNow Research, says it is time to dial back enthusiasm for the gender-neutral version of Latino. “It is unclear whether ‘Latinx’ is just a fad or an ethnic label that is here to stay,” he says in a Medium post.
Interest in the term spiked after a few of the Democratic candidates used it, says Carrasco, so
The term “Latinx” ranked dead last:
“Despite its usage by academics and cultural influencers, 98% of Latinos prefer other terms to describe their ethnicity. Only 2% of our respondents said the label accurately describes them, making it the least popular ethnic label among Latinos.”
The most preferred terms were Hispanic and Latino/a. And while this survey doesn’t fully reflect it, a significant number of people have always preferred to be individually identified by their country of origin, rather than a pan-ethnic catchall.
Hispanic identity is complex. There’s race to consider, generational preferences, and people’s personal history. What if their grandmother is from Guatemala and their grandfather is from Mexico? What if they’re also Indigenous? And identification often morphs between generations—the farther away a person is from their family’s country of origin, the less likely they are to identify as Hispanic at all.
As a result, terms used to describe Latin American identity in the U.S. have always evolved, often prompted by perceived government overreach, racism, and political and social movements.
“Latino” was initially a rejection of the word “Hispanic,” which was seen as a term imposed by the U.S. government in the 1970 census. “‘Latinx’ is an even further evolution that was meant to be inclusive of people who are queer or lesbian or gay or transgender,” George Cadava, Director of the Latina and Latino Studies program at Northwestern University told USA Today. “In some cases, it was a rejection of binary gender politics.”
But, he says, some people feel the term erases the work that Latin American feminists did in the 1970s to add the “Latina” identity into the mainstream.
In the spirit of complexity, the editors at Latino Rebels are taking issue not only with the poll, but with the conclusion it draws.
They say that some people are unfairly using the poll as evidence that inclusion-minded people are out of touch.
“Now, it seems everyone—especially people in the right-wing media and conservative non-Latino New York Times columnists—are taking this new data (a rare poll conducted by a marketing agency in the interest of making money for clients) as the gospel truth that American progressives are so out of touch with the U.S. Latino community,” they write in this opinion piece.
Instead, they recommend, embrace the identity journey.
“There is some myth out there that the use of Latinx is a massive imposition coming from outside activist forces descending on
It’s all fascinating stuff but doesn’t solve the immediate problem for anyone—from a political candidate to a corporate communications department—who wants to identify a group of people without insulting them.
For now, it looks like everyone is on the journey together.
“We have always told any political campaign or company interested that they should know their audience: the use of ‘Latinx’ skews young and urban and college-educated and politically engaged. Those aren’t traits you should just dismiss, but at the same time, understand the complexities. Because trust us, if you say ‘Hispanic’ these days, you are stuck in 1982.”
Ellen McGirt
