Who is Hispanic? Definitions and Their Consequences.

What is the appropriate method for classifying Spanish-speaking-origin inhabitants of the United States? This paper presents relevant data from the first wave of a longitudinal study of adolescents in the greater Miami area. As expected, the broadest definition -"up to third generation" Hispanic- identified the largest proportion of the sample as Hispanic, whereas parent self-report placed the smallest proportion into the Hispanic category. When policy-makers are concerned about enumberating the entire Hispanic population, a definition broader than self-identification should be used; in estimating prevalence rates, however, the use of self-identification may be adequate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]