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Demographics Dicho del mes Education Environment Health Hispanics as Consumers Delayed Childbearing trend increasing in California Over the last two decades, California has experienced an accelerating trend in delayed childbearing, according to a study released today by the Public Policy Institute of California. A growing percentage of women are giving birth in their early forties, while a much lower percentage of teenagers are becoming mothers. Peak fertility rates among U.S.-born white and Asian women now occur in their early 30s, rather than in their late 20s. Peak fertility rates among U.S.-born Latinas occur in their early 20s. In general, Latinas have much higher birth rates than other ethnic groups, with the highest rate in the state belonging to foreign-born Latinas (3.7 children per woman). The trend in childbearing among women over age 40 is highest among whites and Asians. However, despite the growth of fertility rates for women in their 40s, they still represent a small share of all births: 95 percent of California women have completed childbearing by age 40. In 2006, one of every four women in her early 40s had no children, nearly twice the rate as in 1980. This is the highest level of childlessness in the state’s history. Source: Public Policy Institute of California, Birth rates in California, November 2007, http://www.ppic.org/main/publication.asp?i=777.
70 percent of Mexicans in California are U.S. citizens The state of California led the nation from 2000 to 2006 in the number of Mexican immigrants gaining citizenship, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures. Currently, 70 percent of Mexicans in California are U.S. citizens. Births to people of Mexican ancestry are the biggest factor driving the citizenship spurt. State public health records and census data show there have been about 1.5 million children born to parents of Mexican ancestry since 2000. California’s share of the U.S. total of all Mexican immigrants is dropping, declining from 42 percent of the nation’s total in 2000 to 36 percent in 2006. Mexican-Americans comprise about 7.6 million of the state’s 36 million residents. Source: Olvera, Javier Erik and Mike Swift. “The immigration debate: 70 percent of Mexicans in California are U.S. citizens,” San Jose Mercury News, Nov. 5, 2007, http://www.mercurynews.com/
Dicho del mes El muerto a la sepultura y el vivo a la travesura. (The dead to his burial ground, and the living to his fooling around).
Report Calls UC 'The Immigrant University' About 54 percent of students in the University of California system — and about 63 percent of those at its prestigious Berkeley campus — have at least one parent who is an immigrant, according to a report by researchers at the Berkeley campus’s Center for Studies in Higher Education. The report, based on a 2006 survey of the UC system’s undergraduates, says that just 54 percent of undergraduates in the university system said that English was their sole first language. Throughout the university system, 95 percent of Asian-American students, 88 percent of Hispanic students, and 40 percent of white students reported that they or at least one parent or grandparent came from outside the United States. The report indicates that first- or second-generation immigrant students tend to gravitate toward fields such as engineering and the sciences, and to be focused heavily on careers and professional prestige. Although some come from low-income backgrounds, most are more likely than other immigrants to come from families that are well educated. Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, "Report Calls U. of California the 'Immigrant University'," by Peter Schmidt, November 28, 2007, http://chronicle.com/
The changing racial and ethnic composition of U.S. public schools A new analysis by the Pew Hispanic Center that compared public school enrollment in the early 1990s with enrollment in the mid-2000s found that white students became less isolated from minority students while black and Hispanic students became more isolated from white students. The seemingly contradictory trends stem from the increase of more than 55 percent in the Hispanic slice of the public school populations, according to the analysis. In 1993-94, one-third of all white students attended a nearly all-white school. By 2005-06, one-fifth of white students attended a nearly all-white school. At the same time, school enrollment changes led to a diminished exposure of black and Hispanic students to whites. About 30 percent of Hispanic students and 30 percent of black students attended schools that were nearly all-minority in 2005-06. By comparison, about 25 percent of Hispanic students and 28 percent of black students were attending nearly all-minority schools 1993-94. Source: Pew Hispanic Center, "The changing racial and ethnic composition of U.S. public schools," August 30, 2007, http://pewhispanic.org.
Latino attitudes and the environment According to a recent report from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), Latinos are the most likely racial/ethnic group (45 percent) to consider regional air pollution a big problem, followed by blacks (36 percent), white (29percent) and Asian (24 percent). Overall, one of every three Californians say regional air pollution is a big problem, and many residents believe air quality in their region has worsened over the past 10 years, a perception more widely held by Latinos (62 percent). The report also found there are disparities in the level of health threat posed by air pollution. Blacks and Latinos are far more likely than Asians to say regional air pollution poses a very serious health threat to them and their families and to believe this health threat is more serious in lower-income areas of their region )68 percent Latinos, 63 percent blacks, 55 percent Asians, 37 percent whites). Majorities across racial/ethnic groups believe the effect of global warming is already happening, but Latinos are more likely to hold this view and most likely to say this phenomenon is a very serious threat to California's future. Source: Public Policy Institute of California, "Latinos attitudes and the environment Fact Sheet", November 2007, http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/jtf/JTF_LatinoAttitudesEnvironmentJTF.pdf
Ethnicity may play a role in weight loss decisions An analysis of data collected in a survey of 3,500 U.S. adults suggests that Hispanics and African Americans are more likely than whites to use unproven dietary supplements for weight loss. The data shows that Hispanics and African Americans are less likely to use commercial weight loss programs and more likely to exercise and use dietary supplements like herbs or plant extracts, as compared to whites. The finding is important because dietary supplements and herbs generally are not evaluated by the FDA for safety or efficacy. The proclivity of Hispanics and African Americans to use the unproven remedies for overweight remained significant after controlling for socioeconomic status, age, gender, self-perceived weight and beliefs about the efficacy of supplements. Source: HispanicAd, “Ethnicity may play role in weight loss decisions,” Oct. 29, 2007, http://www.hispanicad.com/cgi-bin/news/newsarticle.cgi?article_id=22984
Hispanics Are Top Users of Gift Cards Gift cards are a hot item when it comes to Hispanic consumers. The Hispanic segment spends more on gift cards than any other ethnic group, according to Comdata-Stored Value Solutions. Hispanics purchase an average value of $71; meanwhile, African-Americans spend $60 and Caucasians spend $41 on the average gift card purchase. The amount spent by Hispanics soared 87 percent compared to last year. Still it isn’t just about gift giving. The study also noted that 26 percent of Hispanics give the cards to their children in place of allowance or as a budgeting tool. Also there is a familiarity factor when it comes to the use of gift cards because Hispanics are already heavy users of pre-paid calling cards. Among other findings: Hispanics are more likely to buy gift cards for themselves; Hispanics always or often spend more than the value of the card compared to Caucasians and African-Americans; Hispanics buy cards with higher initial values and are most likely to reload the cards. Source: Brandweek, "Study: Hispanics are top users or gift cards", by Rory J. Thompson, November 06, 2007, http://www.brandweek.com/bw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003668677
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