The second annual U.S. Hispanic Cyberstudy, released yesterday, finds that while U.S. Hispanics are relatively new to the Internet, they are quickly making it an integral part of their daily lives. In
addition, Hispanics are outpacing the general online market in their use of some of the Internet's most advanced features.
According to the survey, which was conducted among at-home Internet
users by America Online and RoperASW, 20 percent of Hispanics web users have been online at home less than six months, compared with just 6 percent of the general at-home online population.
Forty-two percent of Hispanic online consumers have had an Internet connection at home for less than two years, compared with just 15 percent of the general at home online population. Despite having less online experience, Hispanic consumers are outpacing the rest of the at-home online population when it comes to using some of the Internet's more cutting edge features, the
survey results show. For example, they use the Internet far more frequently than the general online population to listen to music (54 percent vs. 30 percent do so regularly or occasionally) and
communicate via instant messaging (64 percent vs. 48 percent do so regularly or occasionally). Hispanics have also rapidly adopted advanced wireless features. For example, a third of online
Hispanic cell phone users (34 percent) use cell phones for instant messaging, compared with just 9 percent of those in the general online population. U.S. Hispanics have also latched on to
the medium's potential educational, product research and communication benefits. For example, more than three in four online Hispanics with children who go online (79 percent), say that the Internet
has had a positive effect on the skills their children will need for a successful career. 72 percent say that the Internet has improved the ability of their children to get into college. Nearly
two-thirds of all Hispanic online consumers (63 percent) consider the Internet the best information source to start learning about products and services they want to buy, and more than half (59
percent) say it's the best place to learn about available brands. In addition, eight in ten online Hispanics (80 percent) use the Internet regularly or occasionally to communicate with friends and
family. The largest barrier among Hispanics who do not have Internet access at home is language. Nearly three in four offline Hispanics who speak at least some Spanish (71 percent), say
online Spanish content is important. More than half of all offline Hispanics (56 percent) cite lack of Spanish content as a reason for not going online at home. About half (49 percent) also say it is
because there aren't enough sites and activities online that would interest Hispanics. Among Hispanics already online, two-thirds of those who speak at least some Spanish (67 percent) say they
"wish there were more Websites that offered information of interest to Hispanic Americans." Among online Hispanics whose dominant language is Spanish, 75 percent feel this way. Almost half of
online Hispanic consumers who speak at least some Spanish (45 percent) also wish that more Web advertising were in Spanish, the survey found. One in three (33 percent) says they pay more attention to
advertisements when they are in Spanish. And nearly one in four (23 percent) say that advertising in Spanish makes them more likely to buy a given product (versus only 10 percent who say it makes them
less likely to buy).
