Latinos Found Deeply Attached to U.S. : Ethnicity: Survey finds most Americans of Cuban, Mexican and Puerto Rican descent prefer English to Spanish and oppose an increase in immigration.

Most U.S. citizens of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent prefer speaking English rather than Spanish, are deeply patriotic toward the United States and oppose increases in immigration, according to a pioneering study by the Ford Foundation that dispels many misconceptions about Latinos in this country.

The survey of 2,817 people of Latino descent in 40 U.S. cities indicated that more than 90% believe U.S. citizens and residents should learn English if they do not speak it, while most of those born in this country already use English as their primary language.

In addition, 80% believe that teaching English should be a key aim of bilingual education.

At the same time, however, the three main Latino groups disagreed with proposals to make English the official language of the United States and were virtually unanimous in favor of providing government services in Spanish as well as English.

Strong majorities also disagreed with employers’ requirements that they speak English during working hours, the survey indicated.

The study--called the Latino National Political Survey--released Tuesday provides the most comprehensive information available on the fastest-growing minority in the United States. And its authors expressed surprise at many of the results. Among them:

--”Most people identified as Hispanic think of themselves as neither Hispanic nor Latino. They prefer instead to be identified by their country of origin.

--”Contrary to popular stereotypes, a majority of U.S. Latinos do not support traditional roles for women.

--”Most do not have a particular interest in Latin America and do not support increased immigration.”

In another key finding, vast differences appear to exist in the English-speaking ability, education and income between Latinos born in the United States and those born outside it.

Among U.S. residents born in Mexico, for example, 78.5% speak only or mostly Spanish in their homes, the study indicated, while 62.8% of those of Mexican ancestry who were born in the United States use only or mostly English at home.

In addition, the poorest and least educated Latinos in the United States are those who were born abroad and who speak mostly Spanish. They constitute 37% of the nation’s population of Mexican descent, 32% of U.S. Puerto Ricans and 64% of the U.S. population of Cuban descent.

“Our findings challenge the notion of a distinct U.S. Hispanic community with shared cultural, political and economic interests,” said Rodolfo O. de la Garza, a professor in the University of Texas government department.

The survey found that those living here of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban descent expressed strong identification with their own nationality groups but reported slight or no contact with individuals from other groups, the study said.

As for politics, more Latinos identify themselves as moderates or conservatives than liberals, although a majority agree that government spending for programs dealing with education, health, crime, child services and the environment should be increased.

On the issue of abortion, 55% of those of Cuban descent said they favor abortion rights, while slight majorities of those of Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage opposed abortion.

The survey, conducted in 1989-90, had a sample of 1,546 persons of Mexican descent, 589 of Puerto Rican descent and 682 of Cuban descent. Other Spanish-speaking groups from Central or Latin America were not included. The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points.