How many levels of acculturation are there?
The rate of acculturation is influenced by a variety of factors that are dependent on both the individual and the area where the individual lives. Factors that influence acculturation include how long the individual has been in the United States, the age of the individual when he/she moved to the United States, the size of the Hispanic population where the individual lives, access to Spanish language media, and availability of Hispanic products/foods. The acculturation rate is faster in areas where there is little access to the Hispanic culture and, obviously, slower in areas where Hispanics have a strong presence. Acculturation is best modeled as a continuum. Segments within the continuum are usually assigned based on arbitrary criteria or on cluster analysis that is usually dependent on a specific client application. That issue notwithstanding, there are typically three to four broader segments. On one end of the spectrum, “recent arrivals” tend to be the least acculturated. They are
