A recently released survey of Aurora`s Hispanic community should debunk some stereotypes, Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Jorge H. Boada said this week.
The study, conducted by the Hispanic Chamber with the help of Aurora University assistant professor Kimball Marshall, found:
– Nearly half of Hispanic families have an income of $25,000 a year or more, with nearly 10 percent earning $50,000 or more.
– About 65 percent of Hispanic households are owner-occupied.
– Only 8 percent of households are without employment.
– The average home has 4.9 people living in it.
Boada said the study finds some very positive things about Aurora`s Hispanic community, which he said has a negative reputation because of media accounts.
”We have to start emphasizing the positive, instead of the negative,”
he said. ”I think nothing but rumors have been spread.”
The $26,000 study was conducted over a four-month period with financial support from the city, Aurora University and private companies.
It is intended to be used as part of an overall marketing strategy both for the Hispanic community and the city as a whole.
It includes statistics on households, including incomes, health expenses, languages spoken, educational levels, shopping patterns and entertainment preferences.
”It`s a good snapshot,” Marshall said. ”I think we have some real good data and some real good perceptions here.”
The study also found the vast majority of the Hispanic population is under 55, with more than half under 30; about 40 percent of households don`t have an English-speaking occupant; about 10 percent of households have someone with a university education, but more than a third don`t have even one occupant who graduated from grammar school; and 13.9 percent of homes don`t have telephones.
