-- by Paul Taylor, Mark Hugo Lopez, Gabriel Velasco and Seth Motel, The Pew Hispanic Center:

A majority of Latinos (54%) believe that the economic downturn that began in 2007 has been harder on them than on other groups in America, according to a new national survey [1] by the Pew Hispanic Center, a project of the Pew Research Center.

Large shares of Hispanics report that they or someone in their household has been out of work in the past year (59%); that their personal finances are in "only fair" or "poor" shape (75%); that they canceled or delayed a major purchase in the past year (49%); or that they are underwater on their mortgage (28% of Latino homeowners).

Latinos, who at 50 million strong make up 16% of the nation's population, have long trailed other Americans on most measures of economic well-being, but analyses of recent government trend data indicate that the gaps have widened since 2005, a period that encompasses the housing market crash and the Great Recession. For example:

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