Despite efforts by woke media members, presidential candidates, and social activists, a new nationwide poll reveals Hispanic people reject the made-up word “Latinx” with near unanimity.
A group of pollsters at the progressive ThinkNow Research conducted a national survey of Latinos to discover Hispanic sentiment toward the term “Latinx.” Respondents were presented with seven of the most popular terms used to describe their particular demographic and were asked, “Which of these names do you prefer to describe your ethnicity?” The terms included Hispanic, Latino/Latina, Chicano/Chicana, Latinx, American, my country of origin, (i.e. Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, etc.), and my country of origin + American (i.e. Cuban-American, Mexican-American, etc.). The poll’s 508-person sample size demographically represented census data, including a margin of error of ± 5 percent.
Ninety-eight percent of respondents indicated they prefer a term other than “Latinx” to denote their ethnicity, which left only 2 percent preferring Latinx, making it the least-preferred term for Hispanic people among Hispanics themselves.
Despite speculation that the “Latinx” label appeals to women and young people, survey results indicated only 3 percent of respondents ages 18 to 34 prefer the term, with zero support among respondents over 50 years old. Hispanic women responded slightly more favorably than men, with 3 percent and 1 percent preference, respectively. In other words, 99 percent of Hispanic men and 97 percent of women, Millennials, and Gen Zers prefer a word other than “Latinx” to describe their ethnicity. Most respondents preferred the term “Hispanic,” with “Latino/Latina” being the second-most preferred indentifier.
People use “Latinx” as both a gender-neutral term to describe Latin Americans, attempting to break away from the gendered Spanish language, and as a term for LGBT Hispanics who identify as “nonbinary.” The word supposedly first emerged online in 2004 but search trends show it didn’t attract any interest until 2017 or 2018.
Lately, however, while 2020 Democratic presidential contenders — often the white, liberal elites — persist in trying to “out-woke” each other, they continue to ignore the desires of the very groups they claim to champion, including using terms rejected by those minority groups.
When I become president, Latinx families will have a champion in the White House. #LatinxHeritageMonth pic.twitter.com/yIcoBHGjMV
— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 15, 2019
DEMS TALK LATINX ISSUES: 2020 presidential candidates Sen. Cory Booker, South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, fmr. HUD Sec. Julian Castro, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar speak at a presidential forum hosted by the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute https://t.co/NoEGYlK9GI
— NowThis Impact (@nowthisimpact) September 10, 2019
Elizabeth Warren’s pandering aside, winning Hispanic voters will be crucial in the upcoming presidential election. In 2020, for the first time, Latinos will account for the largest ethnic and racial minority voting bloc, with “just over 13% of eligible voters,” according to Pew research. “A record 32 million Latinos are projected to be eligible to vote in 2020, up from 27.3 million in 2016.”
For his part, President Trump is directing his campaign efforts toward Hispanic voters in nontraditional part of the country, such as Pennsylvania, a swing state where Latino populations are growing.
