The term 'Latinx' bothers or offends 40% of Hispanic voters: Poll

Only 2% of U.S. Hispanic voters describe themselves as "Latinx," and 40% say the gender-neutral term bothers or offends them, according to a poll released Monday by Democratic consulting firm Bendixen & Amandi International.  

Most respondents, 68%, describe their background as "Hispanic," while 21% use "Latina/Latino."

The use of "Latinx" may cause issues for Democrats, Politico reported. More Hispanics are voting for Republicans due to cultural issues, and using "Latinx" – a term popular with leftist activists and academics – does not help.  

In Spanish, nouns ending in "o" are typically masculine, while those ending in "a" are typically feminine. Terms referring to a mixed-gendered group default to masculine. Politico explains that words in Spanish do not end in "x," making pronunciation of "Latinx" awkward for native speakers.

Most Hispanic voters, 57%, say they are not bothered by "Latinx," but some Democratic strategists are weighing the effects of alienating two-fifths of Hispanic Americans. 

“Why are we using a word that is preferred by only two percent, but offends as many as 40 percent of those voters we want to win?" Democratic pollster Fernand Amandi rhetorically asked.

Democrat Joaquin Blaya, a founder of Spanish-language network Univision, objected to the term because it's "too weird. It’s dumb. It’s foreign. It’s not Spanish."

Latino Democratic strategist Kristian Ramos told Politico he thinks Univision would risk losing "more than 90 percent of their audience and 40 percent of their audience could get offended" if the term is used.

Even younger Hispanic voters dislike the term. Of those between the ages of 18-29, only 4% described themselves as "Latinx." 41% were offended or bothered by it.

Blaya said, "Democrats are helping Republicans make them look out of touch."

Virginia GOP Attorney General-elect Jason Miyares is Cuban American, and told Politico, "By insisting on using the incorrect term Latinx, progressives are engaging in a type of cultural Marxism, a recast of societal norms… Latinos don't use the term — only upper-educated white liberals who hardly interact with the Latino community. I believe that every time they use the term Latinx, they lose another Latino vote."

Robby Starbuck, a Latino Republican congressional candidate in Tennessee, told the John Solomon Reports podcast in November, "I would love for Democrats to continue calling us 'Latinx'... That's something that has driven so many Latinos nuts, and nobody wants to be called that."

The poll surveyed 800 registered Hispanic American voters from Nov. 17-Nov. 21, 2021, and has a ±3.46% margin of error.

The term's popularity may have fallen since 2019 when a Gallup poll of U.S. Hispanics revealed that 3% described themselves as "Latinx."