A Profile of Brazilian Remitters in Massachusetts

A Profile of Brazilian Remitters in Massachusetts

July 2007

Alvaro Lima & Pete Plastrik

INTRODUCTION

2

  This research was done by the Transnational Community Development Network -‐ TransComm -‐ in partnership with the Innovation Network for Communities – INC;

  INC is a national non-‐profit organization focused on supporting civic entrepreneurs to develop and spread scalable innovations that transform the performance of community systems;

  TransComm’s mission is to help immigrant communities in the U.S. to develop their economic, political and social-‐cultural transnational capitals.

3

  This research was funded by a grant from the Kellogg Foundation and completed during the period May-‐July 2007;

  The research traces the demographic profile, the pattern of use of remittances and the presence of transnational behavior among Brazilians residing in MA and sending money to their country;

4

METHODOLOGY

5

  According to the Census PUMS 2000, the total number of Brazilian-‐born adult (25+) immigrants in Massachusetts is 24,056, representing 15.9% of the total of Brazilians in the U.S., second only to Florida (21.1%);

  A sample of 250 subjects (1/1000) is representative of the population with a confidence interval of 6.17% at a confidence level of 95%. Inferences drawn from survey questions specifically directed to remitters should be limited to Brazilian remitters in MA;

  However, according to the American Development Bank – MIF, the percentage of immigrants who send money from MA is 70% so that the inference based on remitters cover a large part of all adult Brazilians;

6

  The routes for the field work were designed around remittance agencies that send money to Brazil in the cities and areas with the greater Brazilian population;

  The subjects were selected randomly and intercepted at remittance agencies, to ensure that they were active senders;

  A staff of 5 Portuguese speaking interviewers was provided by TransComm and trained in administering the surveys by Silvestre HMR&S who also tabulated the results;

7

  Unless otherwise indicated, all results are statistically significant at a probability level of .0001;

  The survey included some questions from the 2003 and 2006 surveys directed by Manuel Orozco of the Inter-‐American Dialogue in order to compare Brazilians with immigrant from other nationalities.

8

2006 Survey – Comparison Sample City

Nationality NY-NJ Los Angeles Chicago DC-Alexandria Miami-F. Lauderdale Total Mexico 100 300 200 600

Dominican Rep. 300 300

Jamaica 200 100 300

El Salvador 100 100 200 400

Guatemala 100 100

Bolivia 200 200

Nicaragua 100 100

Total 700 500 200 400 200 2000

9

2003 Survey – Comparison Sample City

Nationality New York Los Angeles Miami Total Colombia 100 100 Cuba 175 175 Ecuador 100 100 El Salvador 100 110 210 Guatemala 109 109 Guyana 236 Honduras 75 75 México 100 182 282 Nicaragua 150 150 Dominican Republic 150 150 Total 686 401 500 1587

236

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DEMOGRAPHICS OF BRAZILIAN REMITTERS

11

  The age of Brazilian remi0ers (35.63) is close to the average (34.38) but sta?s?cally higher:

41.14 36.85 35.96 35.63 35.19 34.36 33.45

0.00 5.00

10.00 15.00 20.00 25.00 30.00 35.00 40.00 45.00

Average Age by Nationality AVERAGE = 34.38

31.56

12

  Brazilians are the second na?onality in the propor?on of male remi0ers (66.4%) while this propor?on is reversed for Salvadoran 63.8% female:

66.4%

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0 Gender by Country of Origin

Male Female

13

  Although the general level of educa?on among Brazilians is high school, they rank third in College degrees:

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

Nicaragua Jamaica Brazil Dominican Rep. Bolivia Mexico El Salvador Guatemala

Education by Nationality

College degree Some college High School Elementary Not elementary 14

  While the typical educa?on level for Brazilian males is high school (36.75%), one out of four females (23.81%) has a college degree:

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

College degree

Some College High School Elementary School

Did not finish Elementary

Education by Gender

Male Female

15

  Brazilian remi0ers have the greater propor?on of higher incomes (32.4%) and the lower propor?on of lesser income (1.6%). One out of three Brazilians has higher income than other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants:

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

Brazil Bolivia Nicaragua Jamaica Guatemala Dominican Rep. Mexico El Salvador

Income by Nationality

Less than 10,000 10,000 to 15,000 15,001 to 20,000 20,001 to 25,000 25,001 to 30,000 30,001 to 35,000 Over 35,000 16

  One out of every three Brazilians in MA, regardless of their educa?onal level, has an income of over $35,000; except those with some college educa?on, whose majority earns between $20K to $25K:

0.00%

5.00%

10.00%

15.00%

20.00%

25.00%

30.00%

35.00%

40.00%

College degree Some college High School Elementary School

Income by Education

Less than $10,000 $10,000 to $15,000 $15,001 to $20,000 $20,001 to $25,000 $25,001 to $30,000 $30,001 to $35,000 More than $35,000

Elementary Did not finish

17

56%

43%

17.3% 16% 14% 12.8% 12%

3.2%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00% U.S. Citizenship by Nationality

  Compared to other L.A. and Caribbean immigrant communi?es, Brazilians have the lowest propor?on of U.S. ci?zenship (3.2%):

18

  Most Brazilians who are U.S. ci?zens have lived in the country over fiZeen years (1.21%) or between six to eight years (0.81%):

Years in US / Citizenship No Yes Total Less than a year 4.03% 4.03%

Between one and three years 40.73% 40.73%

Between four and five years 23.79% 0.40% 24.19%

Six to eight years 20.56% 0.81% 21.37%

Nine to ten years 1.21% 0.40% 1.61%

Eleven to fifteen years 3.23% 0.40% 3.63%

Over fifteen years 2.42% 1.21% 3.63%

NR 0.81% 0.81%

Total 96.77% 3.23% 100.00%

Largest 2nd Largest 3rd Largest

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  The majority of Brazilians who are U.S. ci?zen (37.5%) have been living in the U.S. for over 15 years. One out of four (25%) have been living in the U.S. from 6 to 8 years:

12.5%

25%

12.5% 12.5%

37.5%

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

Between four and five years

Six to eight years

Nine to ten years

Eleven to fifteen years

Over fifteen years

Citizenship by years in US

20

  As most immigrants, the majority of Brazilian immigrants (85.6%) has been living in the U.S. between 1 and 8 years:

Years in US Brazil Honduras Colombia Cuba Nicaragua Guatemala Mexico El Salvador Guyana Ecuador Dom. Republic

Less than 1 4.0% 6.7% 8.0% 4.0% 4.0% 8.3% 6.7% 0.5% 0.8% 3.0% 2.0% 1 to 3 40.4% 37.3% 32.0% 27.4% 26.7% 24.8% 21.6% 16.2% 13.1% 12.0% 4.7%

4 to 5 24.0% 17.3% 31.0% 22.9% 31.3% 24.8% 23.4% 28.1% 14.8% 20.0% 13.3%

6 to 8 21.2% 18.7% 15.0% 17.7% 12.7% 20.2% 14.2% 17.6% 30.9% 31.0% 18.0%

9 to 10 1.6% 9.3% 7.0% 16.0% 10.7% 4.6% 14.5% 11.9% 14.4% 28.0% 26.7%

11 to 15 3.6% 4.0% 3.0% 3.4% 4.7% 1.8% 7.1% 8.6% 8.1% 4.0% 14.7%

Over 15 3.6% 6.7% 4.0% 8.0% 10.0% 12.8% 12.4% 15.2% 11.0% 2.0% 20.0%


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  The majority of Brazilians (85.6%) are employed. 12.4% of them own a business:

85.6%

12.4%

0.8% 0.4% 0.4% 0.4%

0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% 80.0% 90.0%

Employment

22

  College educa?on is found only among business owners (50%), students and housewives. These different educa?on levels do not affect incomes which is over $35k for almost all levels:

Employed Student Unemployed

Business owner Freelance worker Housewife

Occupation

1

2

3

4

5

Educ

atio

n

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  The typical Brazilian household is composed of 3 to 4 people mostly (82%) adults over 21 :

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  Almost half (44.4%) of Brazilian remi0ers have been in the U.S. less than 3 years. The other half (45.2%) have lived in the country between 4 to 8 years:

4%

40.4%

24% 21.2%

1.6% 3.6% 3.6%

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Less than 1 1 - 3 4 - 5 6 - 8 9 - 10 11 - 15 Over 15

Years in the U.S.

25

  Most Brazilians are renters (88%), with only 10.8% of owning houses. The median income for homeowners (over $35,000) is higher than that of renters ($31,000 to $35,000):

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Less than 10,000

10,000 to 15,000

15,001 to 20,000

20,001 to 25,000

25,001 to 30,000

30,001 to 35,000

Over 35,000

House Ownership by Income

Own house Rent

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FINANCIAL BEHAVIOR OF BRAZILIAN REMITTERS

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  Almost every other na?onality, 50% of Brazilians send money home once a month. 33.2% remit twice a month, and 9.2% once every three months:

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

Nicaragua Guatemala Mexico Bolivia Brazil Dominican Republic Jamaica El Salvador

Frequency of remittances by nationality

Once a month Twice a month Once every three months Once every six months Once a year Other 28

  Ci?es from Minas Gerais are the most important receiving ci?es in Brazil:

7.6% 7.2%

6% 5.6%

5.2% 4.8%

3.6% 3.2%

2.8% 2.8% 2.4%

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8 Beneficiary Cities

29

  Minas Gerais, Espirito Santo, and Sao Paulo are Brazil’s top receiving states:

51.6%

9.6% 6.4% 6% 5.2% 4.4% 3.6% 3.6% 2.4%

0

10

20

30

40

50

60 Beneficiary States

30

  Although the mean of the most recent transac?on is $747, the mode is $500 with a distribu?on ?lted to the leZ:

31

  Even correc?ng for outliers, monthly remi0ances for Brazilians ($875) are much higher than the average for other L.A. communi?es:

$875

$398 $331

$218

$-

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

Monthly Remittance by Nationality

$278 $274 $192 $188 $185 $177

$113

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVERAGE = $294

OBS: Monthly amounts are high even when corrected for gender, education, annual income and years in the U.S.. 32

  Although the average fee for remi0ances is $9.28, the distribu?on is ?lted to the leZ with a median around $10:

33

  Compared to the 2006 sample, Brazilians display a very different behavior with regard to preferred agency. Braz Transfers is their first choice, with Western Union in second and Chang Express in third:

Preferred Agency BRAZIL MEXICO DOMINICAN R. JAMAICA EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA BOLIVIA NICARAGUA

Braz Transfers 33.20% Western Union 20.08% 33.67% 23.33% 45.50% 18.75% 30.00% 14.50% 15.00% Chang Express 13.60% Uno Transfer 13.20% Money Gram 6.80% 3.00% 12.33% 36.00% 21.25% 3.00% 1.00% 2.00% Global 3.60% Mexico Express 19.00% Banco Agrícola 21.50% 7.00% Pronto Envíos 3.50% 18.00% 0.50% 13.00% Ria Envía 3.50% 3.00% 0.50% 5.00% 11.00% 2.00% 8.00% La Nacional 36.50% Dolex 6.67% 2.33% 1.00% 3.00% 8.00%


34

  The majority of Brazilians are very sa?sfied (41.6%) or sa?sfied (51.2%) with their remi0ance agencies:

Level of Satisfaction with Company

35

  Compared to the 2003 sample, the majority of Brazilians (75%), as every other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants, do not use services other than remi0ances. 11.6% of them use money orders while 3.6% use check cashing:

Other services Brazil Guyana Ecuador Nicaragua Cuba Colombia Dominican R. Guatemala Honduras México El Salvador

Money order 11.6% 1.3% 17.1% 9.8% 5.5% Check cashing 3.6% 0.7% Bill payment 1.2% Buy airplane tickets 0.4% Buy different things 0.4% Payday loan 0.4% Checking account 0.4% Other 7.0% 68.1% 51.3% 42.6% 39.6% 37.6% 32.3% 16.2% 30.0% 15.8% 6.9% None 75% 31.9% 48.7% 57.4% 60.4% 62.4% 66.5% 66.7% 70.0% 73.7% 87.6%

OBS: Other services and products made use by the other L.A. and Caribbean communities include phone cards, phone booths and cargo services.


36

  While Brazilians choose an agency based on of the accessibility or convenience of service, other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants look for quality of service and company reputa?on:

Reasons to prefer agency Brazil México Dominican R. Jamaica El Salvador Guatemala Close/Convenient/More agencies 27.3% 30.8% 16.0% 7.5% 12.8% 34.0% Costumer service/Friendly staff/Language 22.2% 0.8% 8.3% 13.5% 14.0% 5.0% Accessible/Easy to use/Services/Schedules 20.1% 14.8% 5.0% 11.0% 8.3% 11.0% Prestige/Well know/Recommended 16.1% 8.5% 2.0% 2.5% 3.8% 4.0% Price/Exchange rate/Free/Discounts 14.0% 10.2% 13.7% 16.0% 9.3% 27.0% Responsible/Secure/Trustworthy 30.2% 32.3% 23.5% 53.3% 32.0% Fast/Punctual/Efficient/No problems 25.7% 28.0% 28.5% 20.3% 19.0%

OBS: 2003 sample comparison.

1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice

37

  Consistently, the majority (63.6%) of the agencies preferred by Brazilians are at walking distance from home, although one out of three (32%) are at a less than 30 minutes drive:

Distance of Transfer Company from Home

63.6%

32.0%

4.0% 0.4%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

Walking distance Less than 30 minutes drive

Between 30 and 60 minutes

Don't know

38

  Mother/father are the main beneficiaries of remi0ances for every country, except Guyana. Second place beneficiaries for Brazilians are husband/wife. For Brazilians, as for Nicaraguans, Cubans and Dominicans, children come in third:

Beneficiary Brazil Guatemala México Colombia Nicaragua Ecuador El Salvador Cuba Dominican R. Honduras Guyana Mother/Father 36.3% 49.5% 48.2% 46.0% 43.3% 39.0% 36.7% 36.6% 36.0% 30.7% 11.4% Husband/Wife 21.4% 22.9% 24.5% 14.0% 15.3% 9.0% 24.8% 7.4% 13.3% 26.7% 8.5% Your Children 19.3% 5.5% 8.2% 20.0% 15.3% 36.0% 11.9% 16.0% 14.7% 13.3% 16.9% Your Siblings 14.6% 14.7% 13.1% 9.0% 18.7% 14.0% 14.8% 24.6% 19.3% 18.7% 6.8% Other relatives 3.9% 6.4% 3.9% 3.0% 2.7% 1.0% 5.7% 8.0% 8.7% 4.0% 18.2% Friends 2.1% 0.5% 2.7% 1.3% 1.3% Business Partner 2.1% Other 0.3% Grandparents 0.9% 2.1% 8.0% 4.7% 1.0% 5.2% 7.4% 5.3% 5.3% 1.3%

OBS: 2003 sample comparison. Largest 2nd Largest 3rd Largest

39

  Like in many other L.A. communi?es, Food (24.6%) and Clothing (17.3%) are the main ar?cles bought with remi0ances in Brazil. Medical expenses come in third place for Brazilians while housing is the third choice for every other communi?es:

OBS: 2003 sample comparison.

Nationality Uses Brazil Nicaragua Cuba Guatemala El Salvador Colombia Honduras Ecuador México Dominican R. Guyana Food 24.60% 96.7% 96.6% 89.9% 89.5% 89.0% 88.0% 87.0% 86.9% 81.3% 72.0% Clothing 17.30% 68.7% 44.6% 69.7% 55.7% 59.0% 56.0% 29.0% 49.3% 25.3% 61.9% Medical 16.90% 10.7% 3.4% 3.7% 3.3% 8.0% 1.3% 4.0% 2.8% 6.7% Housing 15.90% 34.0% 16.6% 56.0% 46.2% 29.0% 32.0% 11.0% 37.2% 32.7% 33.1% Education 11.60% 29.3% 11.4% 39.4% 36.7% 31.0% 28.0% 20.0% 36.9% 21.3% 26.7% Don't Know 7.30% 2.7% 3.4% 11.0% 8.1% 6.0% 2.7% 8.0% 12.4% 8.0% 16.1% Business 5.30% 2.7% 0.6% 1.8% 2.4% 4.0% 1.0% 3.5% 4.0% 8.5% Savings 2.00% 0.6% 1.0% 0.7% 1.3% Other 8.00% 0.7% 1.1% 2.8% 4.8% 3.0% 8.0% 5.0% 8.7% 8.5%


40

  Years sending money to Brazil, has a perfect correla?on with years living in the U.S., that is, the longer Brazilians live in the U.S. the longer they send money to Brazil. The same general tendency holds true for all other groups included in the 2003 sample:

41

Preferred Method of Transfer Funds

  Unlike every other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants, 92.4% of Brazilians prefer sending money by making a deposit into the beneficiary’s bank account. Only 6% prefers sending cash:

42

  Brazilians, along with Salvadorans and Nicaraguans, have an average number of people (70.4%) with bank accounts in the U.S.. Mexicans and Guatemalans have below average numbers while Jamaicans, Bolivians and Dominicans have above average:

84.5

75.5 75.0 70.4

58.3 53.0

39.5

33.0

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

90.0

Bank Account in the U.S.by Nationality

Average = 61.1%

Above Average

Below Average

43

  Sta?s?cal analysis shows that Educa?on (p < .002) and Years in the U.S. (p < .004) are the most important factors in determining bank account ownership for Brazilians residing in the U.S.:

Coefficients*

Standardized Coefficients

Model B Std. Error Beta Sig.

(Constant) .849 .177 4.788 .000 Gender - .073 .068 - .076 - 1.085 .279 Education - .079 .025 - .223 - 3.171 .002 Annual personal income range .001 .019 .002 .030 .976

1

How long have you lived in the United States?

.071 .024 .206 2.932 .004

*Dependent Variable = Do you have a bank account in the United States?

Non Standardized Coefficients

t

44

  Bank of America is the first bank choice (44.8%) for Brazilians as for many other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants. Nevertheless, the second and third choices for Brazilians, Ci?zens Bank (17.6%) and Sovereign Bank (4.4%), are not men?oned by any other na?onality:

Nationality Bank in US BRAZIL MEXICO Dominican R. JAMAICA EL SALVADOR GUATEMALA BOLIVIA NICARAGUA Bank of America 44.80% 8.50% 10.67% 9.50% 12.00% 8.00% 26.50% 13.00% Citizens Bank 17.60% Sovereign Bank 4.40% Middlesex Bank 1.60% Citibank 0.40% 5.50% 12.67% 18.00% 4.25% 3.00% 3.00% Luso American Credit Union 0.40% Chase 8.50% 18.00% 20.00% 3.75% Washington Mutual 4.17% 7.67% 10.00% 3.75% 13.00% 20.00%

1st Choice 2nd Choice 3rd Choice

45

  As for almost all other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants, the main reason for Brazilians not to have a bank account is the lack of iden?fica?on papers (40.7%), which is related to Accessibility and Convenience. The second reason (36%) is subjec?ve – “I don’t need a bank account.” But the third reason is also associated with Accessibility: “The process is very complicated:”

Why not bank Brazil México Dominican R. Jamaica Colombia El Salvador Guatemala I don't have identification papers 40.70% 34.50% 4.00% 2.00% 26.00% 30.75% 41.00% I don't need a bank account 36.00% 21.17% 12.00% 10.50% 24.00% 12.50% 27.00% The process is very complicated 11.60% 9.17% 4.33% 1.00% 8.00% 9.50% 8.00% I don't speak English 8.10% 2.00% I don't trust banks 2.30% 5.83% 6.33% 2.50% 1.00% 2.75% 6.00% There is no bank near 1.20% 0.67% 0.33% 1.00%

1st Reason 2nd Reason 3rd Reason

46

  When arranged by na?onality according to both credit and debit card ownership, Brazilians stand in the middle with one third of them (35.6%) holding a debit card and another third (30.8%) holding neither of them:

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

Credit/Debit Card by Nationality

Both Credit Debit None of them 47

  As with the monthly remi0ances, Brazilians make above average monthly payments to credit cards ($744.74). Nicaraguans, Mexicans and Salvadorans are between the limits of the average ($325.43):

$0.00

$100.00

$200.00

$300.00

$400.00

$500.00

$600.00

$700.00

$800.00

Monthly Payments to Credit Card by Nationality

$714.74

$413.21 $341.00 $317.65 $301.51

$265.45 $217.76 $212.52

48

  The majority of Brazilians (86.6%), as with other L.A. and Caribbean immigrants, do not have economic obliga?ons in the U.S.. Only 6.3% of them have home loans payments and only 3.9% have other loan payments:

Obligations in US Brazil Guyana Cuba Colombia Nicaragua Honduras Ecuador El Salvador Dominican R. Guatemala México Does not have 86.60% 40.3% 75.4% 82.0% 84.7% 89.3% 96.0% 95.2% 88.7% 98.2% 97.5% House payment loans 6.30% 34.3% 18.9% 13.0% 12.0% 6.7% 3.0% 2.4% 2.0% 1.8% 1.1% Loans for other debts 3.90% 26.7% 1.0% 1.3% 1.0% 1.3% 0.7% Business loans 1.60% 5.5% 2.3% 1.3% 2.0% Education loans 1.60% 10.2% 4.6% 6.0% 2.7% 5.3% 1.0% 1.4% 6.0% 0.7%


49

  Two out of three (66.8%) Brazilians would be interested in contribu?ng a small por?on of their remi0ances to support a “development fund” to invest in their own community:

Percentage of Brazilians Interested in Contributing to a Dev. Fund

50

  42.8% of Brazilians would contribute a 1% of the value of remi0ance to the fund. One out of five (20%), could contribute 2% to 5%:

Size of Contribution as a Percentage of Remittance Value

51

Potential Monthly Investment in the Dev. Fund

How much money do you send to your home country per month? Portion to support immigrant fund % of the total Brazilians in MA Average remittance % for support Estimated support 10 percent or more 2.4% 577 $795.00 $79.50 $45,898.85 6-9 percent 0.8% 192 $325.00 $24.38 $4,690.92 2-5 percent 19.6% 4,715 $1,166.12 $40.81 $192,438.38 1 percent 42.0% 10,104 $1,182.19 $11.82 $119,442.85 Total 64.8% 24,056 $1,152.41 --- $362,471.00

  When the monthly remi0ance to Brazil and the por?on donated to the fund are mul?plied together, the poten?al monthly investment would be $362,471. If instead, we use the general average of $875 the poten?al investment would be $295,918.90. We could also, to be more conserva?ve, use the mode value of $500 the total would be $169,082.50:

52

  Almost half (42.4%) of the Brazilians surveyed, chose English classes as their choice for services to be delivered by the investment fund. 25.6% chose small business financing while 19.6% and 6.8% preferred scholarships and child care as their investment priori?es respec?vely:

42.4

25.6

19.6

6.8

2 1.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4 0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Services to be Sponsored by Investment Fund

53

TRANSNATIONAL BEHAVIOR OF BRAZILIAN REMITTERS

54

  72% of Brazilian immigrants have never traveled back home, along with Cubans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, Colombians and Nicaraguans. Dominicans on the other hand travel once or twice a year:

Travel to country Brazil Guyana Ecuador Rep. Dom. El Salvador México Nicaragua Colombia Honduras Cuba Guatemala 3 or more times a year 0.40% 5.08% 11.33% 1.43% 2.13% 2.00% 2.00% 0.92% Twice a year 2.80% 10.59% 9.00% 24.00% 5.24% 4.26% 6.00% 7.00% 5.33% 2.29% 3.67% Once a year 6.80% 23.31% 29.00% 32.67% 19.05% 17.02% 11.33% 13.00% 6.67% 10.86% 4.59% Once every two years 1.60% 16.10% 26.00% 10.67% 5.24% 3.90% 13.33% 6.00% 12.00% 4.00% 3.67% Once every three years 0.80% 9.32% 3.00% 3.33% 8.10% 5.32% 3.33% 2.67% 1.71% 0.92% Less than 1 every 3 years 1.60% 22.88% 7.00% 16.00% 21.90% 12.41% 12.67% 15.00% 12.00% 13.14% 15.60% I've never travelled 72.00% 32.38% 39.72% 51.33% 57.00% 58.67% 68.00% 70.64%

Median frequency

55

  As almost every other L.A. and Caribbean immigrant community, Brazilians who travel, typically stay two to three weeks (5.6%) or less than two months (5.2%):

Duration of Stay Brazil Guyana Dominican R. Ecuador El Salvador Cuba Nicaragua Colombia México Honduras Guatemala A week or less 0.80% 7.63% 7.33% 1.00% 1.90% 1.71% 6.00% 7.00% 3.55% 5.33% 1.83% 2-3 weeks 5.60% 49.58% 48.67% 42.00% 26.67% 26.29% 26.00% 24.00% 18.79% 18.67% 18.35% Less than 2 months 5.20% 16.10% 26.00% 20.00% 15.71% 3.43% 12.00% 9.00% 12.06% 13.33% 3.67% More than 2 months 2.40% 1.69% 8.00% 9.00% 8.10% 3.33% 2.00% 6.38% 4.00% 4.59% Not Applicable 72% 32.38% 68.00% 51.33% 57.00% 39.72% 58.67% 70.64%

1st Duration 2nd Duration 3rd Duration

56

  Brazilians (52%) are among the communi?es with high frequency of phone calls home ( two or more ?mes a week) along with Dominicans and Ecuadoreans. Other L.A. and Carribean immigrants typically call once a week, except Guyanese and Cuban immigrants who call once every two weeks:

Frequency of calls Dominican R. Ecuador Brazil Colombia Nicaragua Mexico El Salvador Honduras Guatemala Guyana Cuba 2 or more a week 60.7% 55.0% 52.4% 39.0% 28.7% 28.0% 23.8% 22.7% 21.1% 15.3% 11.4% Once a week 16.7% 43.0% 35.2% 38.0% 40.0% 44.0% 34.3% 33.3% 34.9% 23.3% 34.3% Once every 2 weeks 11.3% 2.0% 6.4% 16.0% 20.0% 14.2% 27.6% 25.3% 26.6% 28.0% 30.9% Once a month 8.0% 4.0% 6.0% 8.0% 8.9% 11.4% 10.7% 12.8% 19.1% 16.0% Less than once a month 3.3% 1.6% 1.0% 2.0% 3.9% 2.9% 6.7% 4.6% 6.4% 3.4% NR 0.4% 1.3% 1.1% 1.3% 8.1% 4.0%

Median frequency

57

  The median call length for Brazilians is 21 to 30 minutes, along with Dominicans, Colombians, Hondurans and Nicaraguans. The lengthier calls, more than 30 minutes, are made by Guatemalans, Salvadorans and Mexicans. Ecuadorean, Cuban, and Guyanese immigrants typically call for 11 to 20 minutes:

Length of calls Guatemala El Salvador Mexico Dominican R. Brazil Colombia Honduras Nicaragua Ecuador Cuba Guyana

Less than 5 min. 0.5% 2.5% 0.7% 1.2% 2.0% 4.0% 0.7% 4.6% 3.4%

6 to 10 min. 1.8% 4.3% 3.2% 6.7% 7.2% 10.0% 14.7% 9.3% 4.0% 21.1% 15.3%

11 to 20 min. 9.2% 11.4% 7.8% 13.3% 18.8% 15.0% 20.0% 24.7% 45.0% 39.4% 39.0%

21 to 30 min. 18.3% 22.4% 29.4% 35.3% 28.4% 32.0% 25.3% 36.0% 37.0% 21.1% 22.0%

More than 30 min. 64.2% 59.0% 55.7% 44.0% 44.0% 40.0% 29.3% 26.0% 13.0% 9.7% 7.6%

Median Length

58

  All Brazilians buy products made in their country of origin, as do 95% of Ecuadorians. Salvadorans, Guatemalans and Cubans show below average purchases:

0.00% 10.00% 20.00% 30.00% 40.00% 50.00% 60.00% 70.00% 80.00% 90.00%

100.00% Purchasing of Nostalgic Products

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVERAGE = 72%

59

  Almost half of the Brazilians (45.4%) purchase foods and spices from Brazil. One out of five (20.5%) buy Brazilian videos, DVDs and CDs with clothing occupying the third place (17.8%):

45.4%

20.5% 17.8%

5.1% 4.9% 3.7% 1.6% 0.8% 0.2%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

45.0%

50.0%

Purchasing of Nostalgic Products

60

  Except for Guyanese and Ecuadorian immigrants, all other L.A. and Caribbean communi?es do not have financial obliga?ons in their countries of origin. When they do, savings accounts and home mortgages are most common. 27.1% of Brazilians hold a savings account and 6.9% have home mortgages:

Economic activities back home Brazil Guyana México El Salvador Cuba Dominican R. Nicaragua Colombia Ecuador Guatemala Honduras Does not have 51.2% 35.2% 71.3% 75.7% 92.0% 62.7% 84.0% 62.0% 43.0% 76.1% 60.0% Savings account in a bank 27.1% 48.3% 25.2% 19.5% 1.7% 29.3% 4.7% 22.0% 55.0% 19.3% 16.0% Mortgage loan 6.9% 18.2% 4.3% 5.7% 2.3% 6.0% 6.0% 8.0% 14.0% 3.7% 12.0% Family/commercial business 8.1% 2.1% 1.4% 1.7% 3.3% 2.7% 6.0% 1.0% 1.8% 4.0% Life and health insurance 2.0% 4.7% 1.1% 2.7% 9.0% 8.0% Lends money to family 0.4% 8.5% 0.7% 1.3% 4.0% 1.0% 0.9% 2.7% Student loan 9.9% 1.3% 0.4% 0.5% 2.3% 0.7% 5.0% Loan to maintain a business 2.3% 1.7% 0.4% 2.7% 0.7% 1.0% 2.7% Rent payments 0.1% 0.4% 0.7% Medical expenses 0.1% 0.7%

1st Activity 2nd Activity 3rd Activity

61

  One out of three Brazilians (37.6%) does not have financial accounts in his/her country. 28.9% have checking accounts while 26% have savings accounts. Only 5.5% have credit cards:

37.6%

28.9% 26.0%

5.5%

1.6% 0.3%

0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0%

35.0%

40.0%

Does not have / NR

Checking account

Savings account

Credit card Investment account

Foreign currency savings

Financial Accounts in Country of Origin

62

  One out of three Brazilians help his/her family with more than remi0ance support, second only to Guyanese immigrants (46.6%). Below average for this kind of help are Mexicans, Cubans, Salvadorians and Guatemalans:

46.6%

36.80%

27.0%

22.7% 20.0%

15.3% 14.0% 10.3% 9.1%

5.7% 3.7%

0.0% 5.0%

10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0%

Help Beyond Remittances

AVERAGE = 19.2%

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

63

  The most common help besides remi0ances for almost all L.A. and Caribbean immigrant communi?es including Brazilians (37.1%) is payment of real state loans. However, while all other groups’ next two forms of help include student loans, loans to family or life and health insurance, for Brazilians these places are taken with investment-‐related expenses (30.5%) and pension plan (15.2%):

Obligations beyond remittances Brazil Ecuador Guyana Dominican R. Honduras Nicaragua México Colombia El Salvador Guatemala Cuba Payment of real estate loans 37.10% 24.00% 20.76% 12.67% 8.00% 7.33% 7.09% 6.00% 2.86% 0.92% 0.57% Other investment-related expenses 30.50% Help with pension plan 15.20% Charitable donations 11.40% Payment of student loan 5.70% 5.08% 0.67% 2.67% 2.67% 1.06% 5.00% 1.43% 2.29% Loan to family for investments 18.64% 1.33% 5.33% 3.33% 1.42% 6.00% 2.75% 2.29% Life and health insurance 1.00% 2.97% 0.67% 4.00% 2.00% 0.35% 5.00% 0.95% 4.57% Loan for business 1.00% 5.08% 0.67% 6.67% 2.00% 0.71% 4.00% 0.48% 0.57% Rent payments 0.35% Tuition for siblings 1.00%

1st Obligation 2nd Obligation 3rd Obligation

64

  While L.A. and Caribbean immigrant support for hometown associa?ons average 6.7%, Brazilian support for hometown associa?ons is higher (12.4%) second only to that of Guyanese immigrants (26.3%). Salvadorans and Cubans display below average levels:

26.3%

12.4% 10.0%

6.7% 5.0% 4.0% 3.5% 3.3% 2.8% 2.4%

0.0% 0.0%

5.0%

10.0%

15.0%

20.0%

25.0%

30.0% Support of Hometown Associations

AVERAGE = 6.7%

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

65

  Although vo?ng in Brazil is an obliga?on and has been extended to Brazilian immigrants, only one out of four Brazilians (23.6%) vote in na?onal elec?ons:

Participation in National Elections

66

  The vast majority of Brazilians (87.6%) watch TV or listen to radio programs broadcasted from or originated in Brazil:

Watch TV or Listen to Radio Originated in Home Country

67

Send or Receive E-mails from People in Home Country

68

  Three out of four Brazilians (72%) send or receive e-‐mails form people back home. This is a very high internet usage rate when compared to other La?nos (56%), non-‐Hispanic whites (71%) and non-‐Hispanic blacks (60%)*:

*T * The Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos Online Report, 2007.

  Almost every Brazilian with College degree (90.9%) sends or receives e-‐mails from his/her country, while only half (46.7%) of those who did not finished elementary school are online:

90.90%

70.00%

81.70%

69.80%

46.70%

0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

70.00%

80.00%

90.00%

100.00%

College Degree Some College High School Elementary School

Unfinished Elementary

E-mail Usage by Education

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

AVERAGE = 71.8%

69 * Brazilians with College degree have a slightly lower usage rate than that of non-Hispanic whites (91%) and non-Hispanic blacks (93%) but higher than that of other Latinos (89%). Those with less than Elementary school have a much higher rate than all other groups – non-Hispanic whites (25%); non-Hispanic blacks (32%) and Latinos (31%). The Pew Hispanic Center, Latinos Online Report, 2007.

  Brazilians’ internet usage (72%) is above average and second only to Jamaicans. Dominicans also have above average usage with Mexicans and Guatemalans displaying below average usage:

76.5% 72.0%

63.3%

36.0% 34.0% 31.0%

0.0%

10.0%

20.0%

30.0%

40.0%

50.0%

60.0%

70.0%

80.0%

Internet Usage by Nationality

BELOW AVERAGE

ABOVE AVERAGE

AVERAGE = 45%

24.2% 23.0%

70

Documents

A Profile of Brazilian Remitters in Massachusetts