VALS™/GfK MRI's Fall 2018 Survey of the American Consumer introduces a number of attitude questions for Hispanic/Latino respondents only. The survey was in both English and Spanish.

Of the sample:

• 17% have been in the United States five years or less—one-third of them are Strivers, and almost one-quarter are Experiencers.
• About 8% of the sample have been in the United States at least five years but fewer than ten years; about 30% are Strivers; another 30% are Survivors.
• The majority of the sample (75%) have lived in the United States for ten years or more: Survivors (29%), Believers (22%), and Makers (18%) are the most likely of the VALS groups to have been early immigrants.
• US-born Hispanic/Latino respondents project to roughly 8 million US adults; about the same number were born in another country. Because of the VALS distribution of Hispanics/Latinos who have resided in the United States longest (ten years or longer), they tend to identify more strongly with their heritage than recent immigrants do.

20.8 Million Hispanic/Latino Adults Were Born Outside the United States
VALS Type	Number of Adults	VALS Type	Number of Adults
Innovators	750,000	Survivors	5,000,000
Thinkers	980,000	Believers	3,800,000
Achievers	1,600,000	Strivers	3,200,000
Experiencers	2,300,000	Makers	3,200,000

VALS types are consistent across ethnicity. For example, of Hispanics/Latinos, two-thirds of Believers and two-thirds of Strivers are women. Their responses to the question about keeping up to date with the latest in music, news, or sports differ, but are consistent by type. Believers are more likely than other groups to agree completely that they keep up with the latest in Latin music and information, whereas Strivers are more likely than other groups to agree completely that they keep up with the latest in US music and information. Believers prefer the familiar. As a result, they are more likely than all other VALS groups to make more Hispanic than non-Hispanic friends, and to buy more Hispanic/Spanish foods and products than US foods and products.

A first look at advertising attitudes by length of residency shows that Hispanics/Latinos who have been in the United States more than five years but fewer than ten years are more likely than new immigrants or early immigrants to prefer advertising in Spanish. They are the most likely to agree completely that companies that advertise in Spanish respect their culture and want their business; they are more likely to be loyal to a company that demonstrates its desire for their business than to companies that do not..

Of all Hispanics/Latinos—regardless of length of residence—Believers and Survivors are more likely than other VALS groups to show a decided preference for Spanish-language advertising and a loyalty to companies that advertise in Spanish. These groups pay more attention to advertisements when in Spanish—the language helps in ad recall as well. Experiencers are the only group most likely to visit a website if they know it is available in Spanish. Perhaps because Achievers have the highest levels of formal education, they show the least preference for Spanish-language advertising. Having the highest full-time employment rate, Achievers (who want to fit in) may show some preference for Spanish language in family settings but want not to call others' attention to their difference in public or work settings.

The decision to advertise in Spanish or not is dependent on many factors, not the least of which are the product or service that you plan to advertise and its price. Targeting is important regardless of language, but for certain groups, targeting, even by VALS, needs to include both cultural and language dimensions. For instance, religion and family are more important to all Believers than to most other groups. Why? Because religion provides guidelines about what is right and wrong. And having a family is a traditional life goal. For Hispanics/Latinos, religion and family have a heightened importance because both religion and family provide a sense of security, act as stabilizing forces, and provide continuity in a new or different life. All Believers are literal in their understanding of the world around them; many Hispanic/Latino Believers rely on their native language (Spanish) to help them understand language and cultural nuances better.

To learn more about the VALS types and the most appropriate VALS target for your business, contact us.