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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Is the term ‘Latinx’ popular among Latinos?

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

By Lisa Freedland

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Despite the push by some in the LGBTQ+ community to replace the gendered terms "Latino" and "Latina" with the gender-neutral term "Latinx," the term remains relatively unpopular among Hispanic and Latino populations.

According to a 2019 poll from Pew Research Center, only 23% of U.S. adults self-identifying as Hispanic or Latino have heard of the term "Latinx" and only 3% use it to describe themselves. A Gallup poll had similar findings: only 4% of Hispanic adults surveyed claimed to prefer the use of the term "Latinx."

Those opposed to the term argue it is difficult to pronounce or even "linguistic imperialism on the Spanish language."

To deal with such complaints, the term "Latine" has been proposed as a substitute.

The term's origins are unclear, but Mexican American linguist David Bowles told History: "White people did not make up Latinx. It was queer Latinx people."

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Pew Research Latinx Used by Just 3% of U.S. Hispanics. About One-in-Four Have Heard of It.

Gallup No Preferred Racial Term Among Most Black, Hispanic Adults

Washington Post ‘Latinx’ hasn’t even caught on among Latinos. It never will.

History Latino, Hispanic, Latinx, Chicano: The History Behind the Terms

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.