Mark Hugo Lopez

Prior to joining the Pew Hispanic Center, Lopez was Research Director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) as well as a Research Assistant Professor at the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland. His areas of expertise include labor economics, civic engagement, voting behavior and the economics of education. He received his Ph.D. in economics from Princeton University.

Closing the Digital Divide: Latinos and Technology Adoption

Latinos own smartphones, go online from a mobile device and use social networking sites at similar—and sometimes higher—rates than do other groups of Americans, according to a new analysis of three surveys by the Pew Research Center. The analysis also finds that when it comes to using the internet,1 the digital divide between Latinos [...]

The Path Not Taken

Nearly two-thirds of the 5.4 million legal immigrants from Mexico who are eligible to become citizens of the United States have not yet taken that step. Their rate of naturalization—36%—is only half that of legal immigrants from all other countries combined, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Hispanic Center, [...]

An Awakened Giant: The Hispanic Electorate is Likely to Double by 2030

The record number of Latinos who cast ballots for president this year are the leading edge of an ascendant ethnic voting bloc that is likely to double in size within a generation, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis based on U.S. Census Bureau data, Election Day exit polls and a new nationwide survey of Hispanic [...]

Latino Voters in the 2012 Election

Latinos voted for President Barack Obama over Republican Mitt Romney by 71% to 27%, according to an analysis of exit polls by the Pew Hispanic Center, a Project of the Pew Research Center.1 Obama’s national vote share among Hispanic voters is the highest seen by a Democratic candidate since 1996, when President Bill Clinton won [...]

Latinos Express Growing Confidence In Personal Finances, Nation’s Direction

I.  Overview Hispanics have grown more satisfied with the nation’s direction and more confident in their finances since 2011, according to a new survey from the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center. Today, half of Latinos (51%) express satisfaction with the direction of the country, a 13 percentage point increase over [...]

Latino Voters Support Obama by 3-1 Ratio, But Are Less Certain than Others about Voting

Latino registered voters prefer President Barack Obama over Republican challenger Mitt Romney by 69% to 21% and express growing satisfaction with the direction of the nation and the state of their personal finances but are somewhat less certain than non-Hispanics that they will vote in this election, according to a new nationwide survey of 1,765 [...]

A Record 24 Million Latinos Are Eligible to Vote, But Turnout Rate Has Lagged That of Whites, Blacks

Due to their ongoing population growth, Latinos comprise a greater share of the nation’s eligible voters than they did just a few years ago—11.0% this year, up from 9.5% in 2008 and 8.2% in 2004. However, the turnout rate of eligible Latino voters has historically lagged that of whites and blacks by substantial margins.

Hispanic Student Enrollments Reach New Highs in 2011

The nation’s Hispanic student population reached several milestones in 2011, according to a Pew Hispanic Center analysis of newly available U.S. Census Bureau data.

Up to 1.7 Million Unauthorized Immigrant Youth May Benefit from New Deportation Rules

Up to 1.7 million unauthorized immigrants ages 30 and under who arrived in the U.S. as children are eligible for a new Obama administration program that would shield them from deportation and enable them to apply for temporary but renewable work permits, according to updated estimates from the Pew Hispanic Center.

When Labels Don’t Fit: Hispanics and Their Views of Identity

A majority of Hispanics say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label.