a profile of brazilian remitters in massachusetts july 2007

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 SampleCity

Nationality New York Los Angeles Miami Total

Colombia 100 100

Cuba 175 175

Ecuador 100 100

El Salvador 100 110 210

Guatemala 109 109Guyana 236

Honduras 75 75

México 100 182 282

Nicaragua 150 150

Dominican Republic 150 150

Total 686 401 500 1587

236

10

DEMOGRAPHICS OF

BRAZILIAN REMITTERS

11

The age of Brazilian remitters (35.63) is close to the average (34.38) but statistically higher:

41.14

36.85 35.96 35.63 35.1934.36 33.45

0.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

30.00

35.00

40.00

45.00

Nicaragua

Guatemala

JamaicaBrazil

Bolivia

Dominican Rep.

Mexico

El Salvador

Average Age by Nationality

AVERAGE = 34.38

31.56

12

Brazilians are the second nationality in the proportion of male remitters (66.4%) while this proportion 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

GuatemalaBrazil

Mexico

Nicaragua

JamaicaBolivia

Dominican Rep.

El Salvador

Gender by Country of Origin

Male

Female

13

Although the general level of education 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 elementary14

While the typical education 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%

Collegedegree

Some College High School ElementarySchool

Did not finishElementary

Education by Gender

MaleFemale

15

Brazilian remitters have the greater proportion of higher incomes (32.4%) and the lower proportion 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 35,00016

One out of every three Brazilians in MA, regardless of their educational level, has an income of over $35,000; except those with some college education, 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

ElementaryDid 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%

Jamaica

Dominican Rep.

El SalvadorBolivia

NicaraguaMexico

GuatemalaBrazil

U.S. Citizenship by Nationality

Compared to other L.A. and Caribbean immigrant communities, Brazilians have the lowest proportion of U.S. citizenship (3.2%):

18

Most Brazilians who are U.S. citizens have lived in the country over fifteen 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

19

The majority of Brazilians who are U.S. citizen (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 fourand five years

Six to eightyears

Nine to tenyears

Eleven to fifteenyears

Over fifteenyears

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%


21

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%

Employed

Business owner

Unemployed

Student

Freelance worker

Housewife

Employment

22

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

EmployedStudent

UnemployedBusiness owner

Freelance workerHousewife

Occupation

1

2

3

4

5

Ed

uc

atio

n

23

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

24

Almost half (44.4%) of Brazilian remitters 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 than10,000

10,000 to15,000

15,001 to20,000

20,001 to25,000

25,001 to30,000

30,001 to35,000

Over35,000

House Ownership by Income

Own house

Rent

26

FINANCIAL BEHAVIOR OF

BRAZILIAN REMITTERS

27

Almost every other nationality, 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 DominicanRepublic

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 Other28

Cities from Minas Gerais are the most important receiving cities 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

Sobralia

Governador Valadares

Conselheiro Pena

Belo Horizonte

Ipatinga

Sao Paulo

Curitiba

Vitoria

CriciumaJauru

Rio de Janeiro

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

Minas Gerais

Espirito Santo

Sao Paulo

Santa Catarina

Parana

Pernambuco

Mato Grosso

Rio de JaneiroGoias

Beneficiary States

30

Although the mean of the most recent transaction is $747, the mode is $500 with a distribution tilted to the left:

31

Even correcting for outliers, monthly remittances for Brazilians ($875) are much higher than the average for other L.A. communities:

$875

$398

$331

$218

$-

$100

$200

$300

$400

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

Brazil

EcuadorMéxico

Guatemala

Guyana

Dominican R.

Colombia

Nicaragua

El Salvador

HondurasCuba

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 remittances is $9.28, the distribution is tilted to the left 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 satisfied (41.6%) or satisfied (51.2%) with their remittance 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 remittances. 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 reputation:

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 30minutes drive

Between 30 and 60minutes

Don't know

38

Mother/father are the main beneficiaries of remittances 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%



39

Like in many other L.A. communities, Food (24.6%) and Clothing (17.3%) are the main articles bought with remittances in Brazil. Medical expenses come in third place for Brazilians while housing is the third choice for every other communities:


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 correlation 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:

Percentage of the total Years sending moneyYears in US <1 1 - 3 4 - 5 >5 NR Grand Total<1 4.0% 4.0%1 - 3 2.4% 37.9% 0.4% 40.7%4 - 5 3.2% 20.6% 0.4% 24.2%6 - 8 2.0% 4.4% 14.9% 21.4%9 - 10 0.4% 0.4% 0.8% 1.6%11 - 15 0.4% 0.8% 0.4% 2.0% 3.6%>15 3.6% 3.6%NR 0.4% 0.4% 0.8%Grand Total 7.3% 44.4% 25.8% 22.2% 0.4% 100.0%

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 75.070.4

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

JamaicaBoliv

ia

Dominican R.Brazil

El Salvador

NicaraguaMexico

Guatemala

Bank Account in the U.S.by Nationality

Average = 61.1%

Above Average

Below Average

43

Statistical analysis shows that Education (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, Citizens Bank (17.6%) and Sovereign Bank (4.4%), are not mentioned by any other nationality:

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 identification papers (40.7%), which is related to Accessibility and Convenience. The second reason (36%) is subjective – “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 nationality 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%

JamaicaBoliv

ia

Dominican R.

Brazil

El Salvador

Nicaragua

Mexico

Guatemala

Credit/Debit Card by Nationality

Both Credit Debit None of them47

As with the monthly remittances, 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

Brazil

Bolivia

Nicaragua

Mexico

El Salvador

Guatemala

Jamaica

Dominican R.

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 obligations 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 contributing a small portion of their remittances 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 remittance 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 remittance to Brazil and the portion donated to the fund are multiplied together, the potential monthly investment would be $362,471. If instead, we use the general average of $875 the potential investment would be $295,918.90. We could also, to be more conservative, 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 priorities respectively:

42.4

25.6

19.6

6.8

2 1.60.4 0.4 0.4 0.4

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

English classes

Financing small bus.

Scholarships

Child care services

Not specifie

d

Medical services

Community agencies

Discount in re

mittances

Social assistance

Training courses

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 communities with high frequency of phone calls home ( two or more times 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%

Brazil

Ecuador

Nicaragua

Guyana

Colombia

México

Honduras

Dominican R.

El Salvador

GuatemalaCuba

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%

Foods and spices

Videos, DVDs, C

Ds

Clothing

Newspapers/magazines

Books

Alcohol

Cigarettes

Craft Items

Others

Purchasing of Nostalgic Products

60

Except for Guyanese and Ecuadorian immigrants, all other L.A. and Caribbean communities do not have financial obligations 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 nothave / NR

Checkingaccount

Savingsaccount

Credit card Investmentaccount

Foreigncurrencysavings

Financial Accounts in Country of Origin

62

One out of three Brazilians help his/her family with more than remittance 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%

GuyanaBrazil

Ecuador

Honduras

Colombia

Nicaragua

Dominican R.

MéxicoCuba

El Salvador

Guatemala

Help Beyond Remittances

AVERAGE = 19.2%

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

63

The most common help besides remittances for almost all L.A. and Caribbean immigrant communities 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 associations average 6.7%, Brazilian support for hometown associations 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%

GuyanaBrazil

Ecuador

Honduras

Colombia

Nicaragua

Mexico

Dominican R.

Guatemala

El Salvador

Cuba

Support of Hometown Associations

AVERAGE = 6.7%

ABOVE AVERAGE

BELOW AVERAGE

65

Although voting in Brazil is an obligation and has been extended to Brazilian immigrants, only one out of four Brazilians (23.6%) vote in national elections:

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 Latinos (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 ElementarySchool

UnfinishedElementary

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%

JamaicaBrazil

Dominican R.Bolivia

Nicaragua

El SalvadorMexico

Guatemala

Internet Usage by Nationality

BELOW AVERAGE

ABOVE AVERAGE

AVERAGE = 45%

24.2% 23.0%

70

a profile of brazilian remitters in massachusetts july 2007

Documents