"We're hoping that it will become a definitive source that anyone interested in the Hispanic community can turn to."

Politically, the Hispanics surveyed reported that they are more interested in education and crime than in any other issues. Civil rights and affirmative action were extremely low among their political priorities, Quiroz said.

Quiroz also said that the survey respondents listed Gloria Estefan as the most "trusted" celebrity, followed closely by Tom Hanks and Jennifer Lopez.

Kang said the data would initially be used for in-house marketing at People en Espaol, but that eventually the magazine hopes to work with the Rockefeller Center to make the data public.

Quiroz and Kang have previously presented the data to advertisers, but not to academic audiences, said Ellen Sullivan, a development associate with the Rockefeller Center for Latin American Affairs. The center co-sponsored the event with the Askwith Education Forum.

The idea for the presentation came from conversations between Quiroz and Gutman Professor of Latin American Affairs John Coatsworth, Sullivan said.

Professor of Education Marcelo Surez-Orozco introduced the speakers and emphasized the economic and political importance of the Hispanic community.

"I've felt like Paul Revere, telling everyone 'The Latinos are coming, the Latinos are coming,'" Surez-Orozco said. "This shift will be increasingly important over the next few decades."