A study covered news consumption habits among the Latino population in the United States, highlighting data and trends revealed by the Pew Research Center's published report.

The Pew Research Center study reveals that Latinos in the United States, an often bilingual and bicultural group, are overwhelmingly getting their news in English and through digital sources. While the Hispanic population is growing rapidly, there is a decrease in the proportion of Latinos who speak Spanish at home. The average age of Latino adults is about 30, significantly younger than other ethnic or racial groups in the U.S.

News consumption habits vary depending on how long you've lived in the U.S. The majority of U.S.-born Latinos prefer to get their news in English (51 percent), while immigrants have a wider range of preferences, consuming news predominantly in Spanish (47 percent), English (22 percent) or both equally (31 percent).

Regarding access to news, according to the report, “Just over half of the U.S. Hispanic adults (54%) get their news mostly in English – far higher than the share who get their news mostly in Spanish (21%). About a quarter of Hispanic Americans (23%) say they consume news in both languages about equally”.

The survey finds that the majority of Latino adults prefer to receive news through digital devices such as smartphones, computers or tablets, with social media and news sites being the most popular digital sources (87%).

“Latinos are more likely than White Americans (55%) and Black Americans (50%) to prefer getting news from digital devices. Latinos also are more likely than White and Black adults to get news from social media, at least in part because Latino adults tend to be younger than other groups, and young adults are more inclined to use social media for news”.

Regarding close monitoring of the news, there is a downward trend among Latinos, reflecting a national trend. Younger Latino adults are less likely to follow the news closely than their elders.

“About one-in-five Latino adults (22%) say they follow the news all or most of the time, while an additional 36% follow the news some of the time. The share of Latinos who follow the news all or most of the time has fluctuated in recent years but has dropped by 9 percentage points between 2020 (31%) and 2023 (22%), similar to a pattern seen across the general U.S. public”.

As for language preference among bilingual Latinos, the majority chooses to consume news in English, followed by the preference to consume news in both languages equally.

Regardless of language or platform, Latinos tend to turn to Hispanic media outlets for news about their home countries. These means, defined as those that focus on providing news specifically to Hispanic audiences, are popular among Spanish-speaking Latinos, including bilinguals.

The study highlights the complexities and nuances in news consumption among Latinos in the United States, reflecting the demographic and linguistic shifts that are shaping these consumption patterns.