La Familia
The new U.S. Census form came by mail Saturday—our chance as citizens to be counted. Given all that depends on census data, from policy-making to appropriations, combined with significant change since the last census in 2000, the tally is very important to Texas people and places.
Since deciding, without permission or apology, to put a place called Hahn, Texas on the map earlier this month, I’ve been thinking a lot about change and the state of our state—where we are and where we are headed next.
For those of us who like to gauge change by watching trends, it helps that our official state demographer http://txsdc.utsa.edu/ Dr. Karl Eschbach, provides fresh data and forecasts in between zero years for the census. For example, we know there are almost 4 million more Texans than just ten years ago. Eschbach projects that if Texas keeps up this growth pace, another 4 or 5 million more are likely to live in Texas by the next census in 2020. And, when the 2040 census rolls around, we could have as many as 19 million more than we do today.
Here in Central Texas, demographers project a 94 percent growth by the 2040 census, up to 3.4 million people. That’s 654,859 more vehicles and 642,670 more housing units.
Hispanics are expected to account for nearly two-thirds of our projected growth. Hahn, Texas is in the communications business to simply help Texas clients connect what belongs together. Texas and Hispanics belong together and that requires communicating in ways attuned to our state’s cultural dynamics. Given the Hispanic population base wields $1 trillion in spending power in the U.S. today, the economic opportunities, and the communication and marketing-related work required, to address Hispanic Texans is unprecedented.
We depend on friends and experts who specialize in Hispanic consumer opinion, trends and patterns. We love sharing office space with Cultural Strategies partners Juan Tornoe , whose blog is a leading voice on Hispanic trends, and Sebastian Puente. We share ideas and a client or two with Mercury Mambo whose Hispanic market focus is “where commerce and culture collide.” This hot Austin-based firm’s newest study http://www.mercurymambo.com/2009-hispanic-shopper--retailer-study is a product of their proprietary HispaniPolltm , a feet-on-the-street survey tool offering clients fresh market and opinion data.
The shift in population and culture is clearly unsettling to mainstream media as traditional newspapers lose circulation, revenues and influence. Opinion leader polls show television and Internet continue to rise as sources of information. Notably, getting news and information through word-of-mouth from family and friends is on the rise as well.
To connect what belongs together here in the growing Lone Star state is to communicate within our bi-lingual, multi-cultural family of fellow Texans. We like the sound of that. We like belonging here.
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