Latest FAU Poll Finds Hispanics Expect to Spend More Money this Holiday Season and More Will Go Online to Buy Gifts

MEDIA CONTACT: Jim Hellegaard
561-319-2233, jhellegaard@fau.edu

BOCA RATON, Fla. (November 12, 2015) – Hispanics will be spending more on holiday shopping this year and are more likely to buy gifts online than in the past, according to a national survey by the Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative (FAU BEPI).  

Numbers were up across the board from last year’s survey, with 30.7 percent saying they expect to spend more on holiday shopping this year, compared with 28.9 percent in 2014. The number of respondents who said they would not be doing any holiday shopping dropped nine points from 20.1 percent in 2014 to 11.1 percent in 2015, suggesting Hispanics are doing better financially.  

The number of Hispanics who plan to shop on Black Friday went up four points from last year (56 to 60 percent), while those who plan to shop online on Cyber Monday increased from 52 percent in 2014 to 58 percent this year. Females are more likely than males (67 percent to 54 percent) to shop on Black Friday, while Hispanics in the highly prized 18 to 34 age brackets (72 percent) are most likely to surf the web for deals on Cyber Monday. Additionally, more Hispanics expect to do most of their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, increasing from 21.5 percent in 2014 to 27.7 percent this year.

Overall, spending appears to be on the rise in 2015 with 13 percent of respondents saying they will spend more than $1,000 compared with 8 percent in 2014. 

“With the buying power of Hispanics, retailers should be more focused than ever on attracting this lucrative segment of the population to their brands,” said Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., director of the BEPI. 

Another indication of an improving economy, Escaleras noted, can be found in the 5 percent increase among Hispanics who said they would use cash for their purchases, up to 64 percent from 59 percent in 2014. Females are more likely to use cash than males (69 percent to 58 percent), while Hispanics in the northeast are significantly more likely to pay for their holiday purchases with credit (45 percent compared to 25 percent nationally). 

The Hispanic Consumer Sentiment Index dropped to 92.67, down four points from September. The survey was conducted nationally Oct. 1-31.

For more information, visit www.business.fau.edu/bepi or contact Monica Escaleras, Ph.D., at 561-297-1312 or BEPI@fau.edu.  

- FAU -

About FAU BEPI: 

The Florida Atlantic University Business and Economic Polling Initiative Conducts surveys on business, economic, political and social issues with a focus on Hispanic attitudes and opinions at regional, state and national levels via planned monthly national surveys. The initiative subscribes to the American Association of Public Opinion Research and is a resource for public and private organizations, academic research and media outlets. In addition, the initiative is designed to contribute to the educational mission of the University by providing students with valuable opportunities to enhance their educational experience by designing and carry out public opinion research.

About Florida Atlantic University 

Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University, with an annual economic impact of $6.3 billion, serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students at sites throughout its six-county service region in southeast Florida. FAU’s world-class teaching and research faculty serves students through 10 colleges: the Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, the College of Business, the College for Design and Social Inquiry, the College of Education, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the Graduate

College, the Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, the Christine Lynn College of Nursing and the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science. FAU is ranked as a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The University is placing special focus on the rapid development of critical areas that form the basis of its strategic plan: Healthy aging, biotech, coastal and marine issues, neuroscience, regenerative medicine, informatics, lifespan and the environment. These areas provide opportunities for faculty and students to build upon FAU’s existing strengths in research and scholarship. For more information, visit www.fau.edu.