Study suggests Hispanics give higher ratings to products than non-Hispanics

DALLAS Hispanics give higher ratings in product surveys than their non-Hispanic counterparts, according to a study released last week.

The study, designed by Jeffry Savitz, president of Savitz Research Companies, found that Hispanics rate products higher than what they may actually feel.

In the study, Hispanics and non-Hispanics were asked to assign a numeric value to five rating labels using a scale of 0-100 with 100 being the best. The rating labels, “Excellent,” “Very good,” “Good,” “Neither Good nor Poor” and “Poor” are common in survey research. Hispanics consistently gave higher marks than their non-Hispanic counterparts to each label except “poor.” The average difference was 5.9, making it statistically significant.

For example, Hispanics rated Tylenol 85.7, significantly higher than non-Hispanics at 80.6 implying Hispanics favor the brand. However, after the adjustment of 5.9 points, the ratings were at parity.

The results of the study have significant implications on multicultural advertising and marketing as well as which products and services should be offered to Hispanics, Savitz suggested.

“This study finally sheds light on the reason some Hispanic research ends up with faulty conclusions or results,” commented Juan Faura, author of two books on Hispanic marketing. “This ‘cultural lift’ must be taken into account. … Hispanics are taught from an early age that it is in poor taste or inappropriate to openly criticize or berate when asked their opinions.”

Savitz added, “The article discusses levels of acculturation, consumption of Hispanic media and country of origin, but more research is needed to measure the effect of the ‘cultural lift’ on various categories and other factors.”