Hispanics are a multi-racial heterogeneous group made up of people from various Spanish-speaking countries. Although they are all different, they share common grounds in the following areas:

Family:

• The most important social unit for this group, families tend to be very close.
  

Values:

• Family, religion and helping each other top the list.
• Other important values include a strong work ethic and sharing and spending time together with family and friends.
  

Language:

• Spanish is considered the mother tongue.
  

Because they live in the U.S., Hispanics are acculturating, sharing traditional American values. But because they are proud of their Latin heritage and strongly value their mother tongue and culture, they possess a dual cultural identity.

Unlike past immigrants, they are more likely to preserve their culture despite living in the United States for a long time, preferring to be bilingual and bicultural.