Hispanic Participation and Sampling

January 15, 2026

This is a blog about radio ratings and sampling in the United States. However, it must begin with a nod to the unrest and trepidation that is currently happening in cities and towns across the country.

I am not of Hispanic descent. I can assume anyone who is, might be feeling a bit stressed right now. The point of this piece is not to discuss US immigration policy or to address the anxiety some of its implementation is causing. This is about radio listening.

Of the three ethnicities NIELSEN tracks in both PPM and diary worlds—Black, Hispanic, and Other—the one that tends to spend the most time with radio is the Hispanic congregation. While every market is different, Hispanics tend to be heavier radio users. It is important that samples for both PPM and diary are effectively balanced for all three ethnicities. Remember, you pay Nielsen for sample, not ratings.

So, imagine this scenario:

A potential Hispanic participant in a PPM panel gets a call from this unknown company called Nielsen. If they are like most of us, they ignore the call. Nielsen does not give up and eventually makes contact with this individual. They explain they want this person’s help in rating radio stations in their town. Nielsen goes on to say they will pay this person for their participation for (potentially) the next three years.

Sounds like a pretty good deal. Then comes the kicker. Nielsen says this person has to carry a device around that records their radio listening. Some may be fine with that. Others could perceive this “device” as something that monitors their movements and reports them to…
While we know this is NOT what happens with PPM, perception is reality. As the old song goes: “Paranoia strikes deep…”

I have no idea if any of this is happening. I’m fairly confident Nielsen has gamed this situation out and is likely monitoring it closely. I do know that as a Nielsen client you can see if Hispanic sampling is a problem in your market. Track proportionality indexes for all Hispanic demos. By Niesen’s own standards, an index between 90-110 is optimal. An index of 80-120 is acceptable. Anything outside those ranges is a problem that needs to be addressed. (As a rule, you’d rather have over-sampling than under-sampling, as it provides a better opportunity to capture your heavy listeners).

I do not know if Hispanic participation in the sample has become more complicated or difficult. I do, however, think it is a situation that bears monitoring as we move forward.

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