 |
|
The Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States
Serving our Community for 26 Years!
|
|
LUSUS Newsletter
Special Announcement - PALCUS Index 2017 Results
The Online Newsletter of PALCUS
November 14, 2017
|
PALCUS Index National Survey Gives Insights into the Mindset of Portuguese-Americans Nationwide
PALCUS Index shows Portuguese-Americans have a high rate of voter turnout, are most concerned about maintaining their community organizations, the Portuguese language, the state of the country's political leadership, the cost of education, and access to healthcare
WASHINGTON, DC - November 14, 2017 - PALCUS (Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States) is pleased to announce the results of the first ever PALCUS Index national survey. In addition to demographic and socioeconomic data, the PALCUS Index provides information about what might matter most to the Portuguese community, where they prioritize their time, effort and money, and how connected or disconnected they are to their communities and Portugal.
"A national survey of this nature is critical for us to begin to understand what matters most to our Portuguese-American communities," said Angela Simoes, PALCUS Chairwoman. "This survey seeks to answer questions such as why or why not are people involved in the Portuguese community; what kind of events or new activities do they want to see in their community; how often do they travel to Portugal; are they using Portuguese in their jobs? These are questions that have never really been asked before, and knowing this information will help all of our organizations plan for the future."
The PALCUS Index will collect data on a regular basis measuring trends over time and thereby providing insights into how to maintain strong engagement with the Portuguese-American community. Data will be made available, upon formal request of PALCUS, to community organizations, academic researchers, as well as other relevant stakeholders and institutions in the United States, Portugal, and other countries.
"There is a dearth of data about Portuguese-Americans, and when
PALCUS Chairwoman, Angela Simoes, approached me with the idea of a project that involved ongoing collection of data on our people in the US, I immediately threw my hat into the ring," said Dr. Dulce Maria Scott, professor of Sociology at Anderson University and PALCUS research consultant.
"Other than the socioeconomic and demographic profile provided by the US Census Bureau, there is little data available about Portuguese immigrants and their American-born descendants in the US. Further, the Census Bureau data does not distinguish between the various generations in the US. Thus, a major advantage of a survey of this nature is that it permits to discern intergenerational paths of integration into US society undertaken by our people who arrived in the US at different historical periods and settled in different regions of this vast country," Dr. Scott added.
Characteristics of Respondents and Some Key Findings
The majority of the respondents are between the ages of 35 and 64, 68% are married, and 53% of these are married to someone of a different descent (non-Portuguese).
As the generations succeed each other in the US, the likelihood that one's spouse is Portuguese declines.
- The level of education of survey respondents is considerably higher than that indicated in the 2016 American Community Survey (ACS) for all Portuguese-Americans. Compared to ACS data, our sample contains a higher percentage of retired and self-employed respondents and a lower percentage of people employed for wages. In our sample, the main level of income falls between $75,000 and $99,999, and the median family income is in upper bracket of this response category. ACS data indicate that the median family income of Portuguese Americans nationally is $82,356, and this is more than $11,000 higher than the median family income for the US as a whole.
- Politically, Portuguese-Americans are also well integrated. Both the PALCUS survey and the ACS show that they have high rates of US citizenship. Additionally, the PALCUS survey shows that respondents have high levels of voter turnout as well as other forms of political participation. The number of Portuguese-American elected and appointed officials continues to grow in America.
- Among respondents, there is a rapid decline in the ability to speak Portuguese from generation to generation. There is also a steep decline from one generation to the next in the transmission of the Portuguese language to children. An intergenerational decline is also evident in the number of visits to Portugal, although many Luso-descendants indicate that they travel to Portugal on vacation/tourism, to get to know the place that their ancestors come from, to study, and to trace their genealogy, among other reasons.
- Of primary concern among survey respondents is how we maintain the viability of our community organizations and sustain our cultural distinctiveness within American society, when we are faced with sharp declines in immigration from Portugal and our American-born youth feel the strong pull of assimilation into the American mainstream.
- Congruent with the prioritization of cultural concerns, of highest importance among respondents is the transmission of the Portuguese language across generations. The maintenance of Portuguese cultural practices as well as ties to Portugal also ranked high among the respondents in t
erms of in-group priorities.
- Last, but not least, there is a considerable amount of support among respondents for the existence of an organization that represents the interests of Portuguese Americans at the national level. PALCUS will continue to endeavor to fulfill this role and be a voice for Portuguese Americans nationally as well as promote US/Portugal relations.
"This first survey is exploratory, in the sense that it is based on a sample of convenience, which is not representative of the entire Portuguese-American population. Notwithstanding, combined with American Community Survey data, we have been able to provide an exciting and useful portrayal of Portuguese Americans that, when it comes to the demographic and socioeconomic variables, goes beyond the survey participants and into the entire Portuguese-American population," Dr. Scott stated.
Methodology and Considerations
The survey data is based on a sample of convenience, collected through social media and PALCUS's membership and online network. PALCUS is working on finding viable ways of attaining a more representative sample of the Portuguese American population.
The data collected in the current survey was analyzed by Dr. Dulce Maria Scott, who then authored the survey report that we are making public today. The report was subsequently reviewed and accepted by the PALCUS survey committee, consisting of the following individuals:
- Angela Costa Simoes, PALCUS Chair
- Katherine Soares, PALCUS Vice Chair
- Marie Fraley, PALCUS Director and Managing Director
- Dulce Maria Scott, PhD, PALCUS research consultant, Anderson University
- Diniz Borges, PALCUS Director, Honorary Consul and Professor of Portuguese at Tulare Union High School
"In our next survey, we will implement a strategy to collect responses in person from those who are not online or have access to the internet," added Chairwoman Simoes. "We understand the need for a more representative sample to obtain more accurate data, and at the same time, feel that this first survey was a great starting point."
Learn More: Webinar
The PALCUS Index national survey was made possible in part through the financial support of organizations such as:
- Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies at Rhode Island College,
- Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture at the University of Massachusetts- Dartmouth
- Luso-American Development Foundation (FLAD),
- Portuguese-Fraternal Society of America, and
- Anderson University.
PALCUS thanks these organizations for their collaboration and support. As this is an ongoing effort, we welcome the collaboration of other organizations and institutions at any time. Survey sponsors help finance the many hours of data gathering and analysis that are required in this important work.
Please contact Gracielle Camilo at palcus@palcus.org for more information on survey sponsorship.
|
 |
Help strengthen PALCUS as we continue working for the community!
Please consider including PALCUS in your giving plans in 2017. Also consider using your United Way donation to benefit your favorite national organization. Each tax- deductible donation will be much appreciated and will be acknowledged.
|
Paid advertisement. Does not imply an endorsement or recommendation by PALCUS.
Getting Your Portuguese Citizenship Service with 25% Discount
Portugal ReConnect is offering PALCUS members* a 25% discount on their service to obtain your Portuguese citizenship. If you didn't have a chance to watch PALCUS' webinar, "Getting Your Portuguese Citizenship: Benefits and Advantages" live, you can still watch it by following
this link. In the webinar, Portugal ReConnect's attorneys guide you through the criteria to help you find out whether you're eligible for the citizenship program.
*PALCUS Member in good standing, who has paid his/her 2016 or 2017 dues
|
Did you enjoy this newsletter? Do you know about all the programs PALCUS offers our community? Please visit our website and become a member today!
We can't do what we do without your support!
|
Jobs for Portuguese Speakers
|
Our Mission
In order to create a singular voice to advocate for the Portuguese-American and Luso-American communities at large, the Portuguese-American Leadership Council of the United States Inc. (PALCUS) was founded in 1991 as a 501(c)3 non-partisan, non-profit, organization headquartered in Washington D.C.
The PALCUS mission is to address domestic and international concerns of the Portuguese-American Community.
The Council conducts an expanding program of educational and public affairs activities on issues of interest to the Portuguese-American community and of salience to the Luso-American Relationship.
PALCUS is committed to serving the community through increasingly active government relations efforts, the promotion of a greater awareness of ethnic accomplishments and encouraging stronger ties between Portugal and the United States. In this role PALCUS advances th
e community professionally, politically and culturally
while working to ensure that issues directly affecting our community are addressed through our network of government and community leaders.
PALCUS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization incorporated under the laws of the District of Columbia. Donations are tax deductible to extent allowed by law.
|
|
|
|
|
|
