“Latino” and “Hispanic” have long been the most prominent terms used to describe people in the U.S. with roots in Latin America and Spain. But over the last several years, “Latinx” has become a de-facto gender neutral alternative to Latino and Hispanic, according to a new study by race and ethnicity researchers.
Despite the increased awareness of the term among Latinos — 47% have heard of it — only 4% or 1.9 million people use “Latinx” to describe themselves, an increase of 1 percent since 2019, according to the study by the Pew Research Center.
“‘Latinx’ is more broadly known among U.S. Latinos today, but still few embrace it,” said Mark Lopez, Pew’s director of race and ethnicity research.
Of the Latinos who have heard the term, 36% view the usage of the term as a bad thing instead of a good thing, according to the study.
And with opinions mixed, about “Latinx,” a new term has emerged: “Latine” (pronounce LA TEE NEH). That term has gained popularity among people from Latin American countries and Spanish speakers who have pushed for the term to be used instead of “Latinx,” because in Spanish “e” can be used to better note gender neutrality, said Josh Guzmán, an associate professor of gender studies at the University of California at Los Angeles. […]
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