Americanos - Americans, in Spanish - are U.S. Hispanics, this country's largest minority group. They are diverse in a myriad of ways, from their levels of acculturation and uses of English and Spanish to their political views. At the same time, they have enough in common to be treated as a distinct segment of the population by the U.S. Census Bureau. How are various segments of U.S. Hispanics alike and different from each other, and how do they compare with the general population?

Despite the increasing attention being paid to the U.S. Hispanic community for its potential growth in size, buying power, and political strength, there is little research offering answers to these questions. Encuesta, Inc. decided to take a small step toward filling this void through the Americanos Poll, a channel through which to explore the U.S. Hispanic population. The idea to embark upon this project arose from our own intellectual curiosity and desire to confirm or deny the hypotheses we have developed during over 15 years of specialized experience in U.S. Hispanic marketing research and public opinion polling.

In naming our project, we were inspired by the book and documentary Americanos: Latino Life in the United States, La Vida Latina en los Estados Unidos. We share the thoughts that Edward James Olmos sets forth in the book's preface regarding the choice of Americanos as a title:

[T]oo often society sees us not as Americans but as strangers to this land. We have worked hard to help build this country and we continue to do so every day. The face of America should include us ... [A]s Latinos we often think of Americanos as the others in this country, not us. We, and especially our children, need to see that we are an integral and equal part of U.S. society ... [W]e wanted a title that would recognize and honor our bilingual heritage and would be easily understood in both English and Spanish...

Encuesta, Inc. fully sponsors the Americanos Poll and releases to the public, free of charge, a good deal of the information it generates. Our intent is promote thought, dialogue, and understanding of the U.S. Hispanic population and to give a voice to the Hispanic community. We hope in this way to benefit industries and sectors that serve Hispanics and the U.S. Hispanic community at large.