title: Who is Hispanic? Definitions and their consequences.
abstract: What is the appropriate method for classifying Spanish-speaking-origin inhabitants of the United States? This paper presents relevant data from the first wave of a longitudinal study of adolescents in the greater Miami area. As expected, the broadest definition--"up to third generation" Hispanic--identified the largest proportion of the sample as Hispanic, whereas parent self-report placed the smallest proportion into the Hispanic category. When policymakers are concerned about enumerating the entire Hispanic population, a definition broader than self-identification should be used; in estimating prevalence rates, however, the use of self-identification may be adequate.
authors.affiliation: University of Miami, Coral Gables, Fla.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Zimmerman
authors.forename: W A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Warheit
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Apospori
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Biafora
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012650:Self Disclosure; D014481:United States