According to the Pew Research Center's Bilingual National Latino Survey, more Latinos are familiar with the gender-neutral term “Latinx,” but very few still support using the term.
The term, pronounced “Latin-x,” has been pushed into the mainstream in recent years by scholars, activists and entertainers as an alternative to the gender-specific terms “Latino” and “Latina,” but has not yet caught on.
According to data from the Pew Research Center, only 43% of Latino survey respondents know the term.
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New York City's Mexican American community celebrates Mexican independence with the annual Mexican Day Parade in Midtown New York City. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)
That's more than double from 2019, when only 23% of Latino and Hispanic poll respondents were aware of the term.
Only 4% of those surveyed actually used the term “Latino” to describe themselves. According to the Pew Research Center.
This trend is little changed from 2019, when 3% referred to themselves as Latino. A Pew Research Center survey of Latinos found that a staggering 75% actively believe the term “Latino” shouldn't be used at all.
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The exact origins of the term “Latinx” are unclear, but many believe it was created by LGBT members of the Hispanic community to avoid gender references. “Latine” is a less common suggestion as a gender-neutral word.
In the United States, the use of the terms “Latino” or “Latinx” has always been widely frowned upon, especially in the political world.
Several states have threatened or implemented bans on the use of the term “Latino” in official state government communications. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
This has led several states to consider banning the term “Latino” from official state government announcements.
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Arkansas became the first state in the nation to ban the use of “Latino” on government documents after Republican Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed an executive order on her first day in office last year.
The National Hispanic Survey was conducted from November 6 to November 19, 2023. The program surveys a nationally representative sample of 5,078 Hispanic residents.
Fox News Digital's Nicholas Lanham contributed to this report.
