Becoming "Hispanic": Secondary Panethnic Identification among Latin American-Origin Populations in the United States

Abstract

Contemporary debates on Latino panethnicity assert that this identity is either cultural or instrumental in nature. The article looks at respondents'use ofprimary and secondary ethnic identifications to answer two questions: First, how substantial is panethnic identification among Hispanics? Second, what is the nature of Latino panethnicity? Using data from the Latino National Political Survey, the authors find that Hispanic ethnicity is neither simply instrumental nor cultural. Instead, Latino panethnicity is a complex phenomenon, differing not only by a range of demographic characteristics but also among those using panethnicity as a primary or secondary identification. These findings suggest that one needs to think about panethnicity as part of a constellation of individuals'multiple identifications and that individuals may manage these identities in very different ways.