For Hispanics in the US, family is fundamental.

We explored the meaning of Hispanics’ four key cultural values – family, faith, food and music – in our recent Hispanic to Latinx project. This study included a survey of Hispanics aged 13 to 49 as well as in-depth interviews. Here’s what we learned about how they feel about family:

Family is more important than friends. Six in 10 Hispanics say they would choose to have a big family over a large group of friends. This preference is as strong among teens as it is for adults aged 35 to 49.

Spanish is the language of home. While a majority of Hispanics 13 to 49 speak Spanish (78%), that doesn’t mean they use it everywhere. Two-thirds speak Spanish at home with their families, compared with 47% with friends and just 35% at work. They hope the next generation will continue to connect with loved ones in Spanish, with 9 out of 10 saying they would like their children to speak Spanish.

They want to pass along family traditions to their kids, while putting their own spin on things Most Hispanics (83%) want their children to continue family traditions, and 71% want to raise their kids the way they were raised. At the same time, they’d like to leave behind “dated” approaches that didn’t work for them when they were growing up. Many expressed a desire for their kids to feel comfortable talking openly with them, and 69% don’t want their kids to be as scared of them as they were of their parents.

They take care of each other under any circumstances. Nearly all Hispanics surveyed (86%) believe that “family takes care of each other no matter what.” Similar percentages expect to support their parents financially in old age (86%) and feel it’s important to give money to family members in need (87%). Their support is loyal, with 86% agreeing that they may not always like their family, but they will never turn their back on them.