High School Drop-out Rate at Record Low
Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment
A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates in the Class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall, two percentage points higher than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts. At the same time, the high school drop-out rate among Latino youths has come down by half – from 28% in 2000 to 14% in 2011. Despite improvements on these measures, Hispanics continue to lag other youth in a number of key higher education indicators, such as completion of four-year college degrees.
Inside the 2012 Latino Electorate
A record 11.2 million Latinos voted in 2012, but Latinos’ voter turnout rate declined to 48% in 2012 from 49.9% in 2008 and continued to lag other groups significantly. Among Latinos, voter turnout rates vary widely with the highest among those with a college degree (70.8%) and among Cuban origin Latinos (67.2%). Voter turnout rates are lowest among those ages 18 to 29 (36.9%) and those with less than a high school diploma (35.5%). Overall, voter turnout rates for all but three demographic subgroups of Latinos were lower in 2012 than in 2008. In addition, a record 12.1 million Latinos who were eligible to vote chose not to do so in 2012.
Related:
Immigration
Trends in migration flows, the characteristics of the foreign-born population and attitudes towards immigration policy issues.
Politics
Reports and public opinion surveys examining the changing electoral participation and views of Latinos.
- Election Fact Sheets: Data on the size and social and economic characteristics of the Hispanic and non-Hispanic eligible voter populations. 2012 | 2010 | 2008
- Interactive: Mapping the Latino Electorate
- Latino Voters in the 2012 Election
- The Latino Vote in the 2010 Elections
- The Latino Electorate in 2010:
More Voters, More Non-Voters
Identity
The Pew Hispanic Center recently published “When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and their Views of Identity,” a report based on a nationwide survey that found most Hispanics don’t embrace the term “Hispanic.” And even fewer prefer the term “Latino.”
We then invited journalists, scholars and civic leaders to share their views about identity.
- A Conversation About Identity
- Storify: Highlights from the Conversation
- Slideshow: Key Findings
