The "question" was – Are we becoming more Americanized? We thought the answer would be definitely YES. But, now we are not so sure. Based on language (questions #1-4) it seems that we are more "American," but based on food (questions #5-7), it seems that we are retaining some of our heritage. While our largest ethnic groups remain Italian and French (question #1), we are basically third and fourth generation Americans (question #2) – a characteristic which would seem to suggest that most of us would have no knowledge of our ethnic language(s). The fact that only one-quarter (25%) of our families speak a language other than English at home would seem to confirm that observation. (NOTE: An adjustment may be in order to acknowledge the fact that the primary language for some ethnic groups is English.) The final language element that suggests we are becoming more Americanized is the fact that a majority of us (62%, question #3) cannot speak our ethnic language(s). On the other hand, when we talk about food, the results suggest that we are holding on to our ethnic traditions. Our parents still regularly prepare traditional ethnic foods (44%, question #6; note: there was 14% NO RESPONSE on this question). In addition, over one-half of us (53%, question #5) know how to prepare one of our traditional ethnic foods. But then, question #1 showed that Italian is one of our largest ethnic groups at 19% while 41% of us (question #7) claim Italian to be our favorite ethnic food….

The "question" was – What influences us when we buy clothes and music? When it comes to clothes, we claim that the decision is based on our personal taste (74%, question #10). However, 25% of us acknowledge that our friends influence our clothing purchases, which when we acknowledge peer pressure and its influence on us could suggest that we are not as independent-minded as we think we are. When buying music, 50% of us (question #11) think that the decision is totally personal, but again, when the 37% influence of music stations and radio is considered, even buying music may not be as much of a personal decision as we may think. In regard to what media influences us the most with its advertising (question #12), there is probably no surprise – it’s TV at 70%! But then, we watch a lot of TV (see question #4, "Entertainment Survey").

We are a society that loves sports and that is exactly what our survey confirms: 80% of us participate in a recreational sport (question #17). In school, 68% of us play a sport (question #16) and 64% of us have attended BCHS athletic events as a fan on multiple occasions (question #18). Of course, we still find time for TV where 62% of us (question #19) watch sporting events on a regular or frequent basis with the NFL, Major League Baseball, and the NBA being our top three choices (question #20). We are a society that loves sports.