The subjects for this survey were Money Remittance Senders from MA to Brazil.

1. BRAZILIANS IN MA
JULY 2007
eSilvestre.com
Innovation Network for
Communities

2. INTRODUCTION
• Innovation NetworkforCommunities is
engaged in developing the Brazilian
community in Massachusetts and
funded the present research to
describe its profiles and resources.
• The subjects for this survey were
Money Remittance Senders from MA
to Brazil.

3. OBJECTIVES
The research covers the demographic profile, the
pattern of use of remittances and the presence of
Transnationalist behavior among the Brazilians
residing in MA and sending money to their
country.
The questionnaire included questions from 2006 and
2003 surveys directed by Manuel Orozco (Inter-
American Dialogue, Institute for the Study of
International Migration) in order to compare the
Brazilians with immigrants from other
nationalities.

4. METHOD
• According to the Census PUMS 2000,
the total number of Brazilian born adult
(25+) immigrants in the state of
Massachusetts is 24,056, this quantity
represents 15.9% of the total in the US,
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%.

5. METHOD
The sample for the comparisons with
the 2006 survey is shown in the
above table.
City
Nationality NY-NJ Los Angeles Chicago DC-Alexandria Miami-F. Lauderdale Total
MEXICO 100 300 200 600
DOMINICANA 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

6. METHOD
Here is the sample for the
comparisons with the 2003
survey.
City
Nationality New York Los Angeles Miami Grand Total
Colombia 100 100
Cuba 175 175
Ecuador 100 100
El Salvador 100 110 210
Guatemala 109 109
Guyana 236 236
Honduras 75 75
México 100 182 282
Nicaragua 150 150
Dominicana 150 150
Grand Total 686 401 500 1587

7. METHOD
• 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 in those public places,
to ensure that they were active
remittance senders.

8. METHOD
• A staff of 5 Portuguese speaking
interviewers was provided by Innovation
NetworkforCommunities and the
Brazilian Immigration Center, and
trained in administering the
questionnaire.
• The interviewers wore ID badges from
the National Money Transmitters
Association (NMTA).

9. RESULTS

10. DEMOGRAPHICS

11. Zip codes and neighborhoods
coincided. These are the most
important ones.
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Allston
Brighton
Maynard
Acton
East Boston
Somerville
Everett
Lowell
Neighborhoods

12. The age of the Brazilians is close to
the average of other countries
but statistically higher (p < .05).
41.14
36.85 35.96 35.63 35.19 34.36 33.45
31.56
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
45.00
Nicaragua
Guatemala
Jamaica
Brazil
Bolivia
Dominican Republic
Mexico
El Salvador
Average of age by nationality
AVERAGE = 34.38

13. • Unless otherwise indicated, all
affirmations are statistically significant
at a probability level of .0001.
• Although we explored every possible
interaction among the included
variables, we only report here the
significant ones.

14. Brazil is the second nationality with
higher proportion of males
sending remittances (66.4%).
66.4
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
70.0
Guatemala
Brazil
Mexico
Nicaragua
Jamaica
Bolivia
Dominicana
El Salvador
Gender by nationality
Male
Female

15. Although the general education is High
School, Brazil has the third place in
college degrees.
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
Nicaragua Jamaica Brazil Dominicana Bolivia Mexico El Salvador Guatemala
Education by nationality
College degree Some college High School Elementary Not elementary

16. While the typical education 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%
College
degree
Some college High School Elementary
School
Did not finish
Elementary
Education by gender
Male
Female

17. Brazil has the greater proportion of
higher income (32.4%) and the lower
proportion of lesser income (1.6%)
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
Brazil Bolivia Nicaragua Jamaica Guatemala Dominicana 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 35,000

18. One out of three of the Brazilians in MA, regardless
of their educational level, has an income over
$35,000, except for those who have some
college, whose majority win from $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 Not Elementary
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

19. The Brazilians who have college degree, high
school education and those who did not
finished the elementary win between $31 and
$35 thousand a year.

20. The proportion of Brazilians with US
citizenship is the lowest one (3.2%).
56.00%
43.00%
17.30%
16.00%
14.00% 12.80% 12.00%
3.20%
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Jamaica
Dominicana
El Salvador
Bolivia
Nicaragua
Mexico
Guatemala
Brazil
US citizenship by nationality

21. As expected, the majority of those who are US
citizens (37.5%) have been living here
over 15 years. One out of four (25%) have
been living in US from 6 to 8 years.
12.50
25.00
12.50 12.50
37.50
0.00
5.00
10.00
15.00
20.00
25.00
30.00
35.00
40.00
Between four
and five years
Six to eight
years
Nine to ten
years
Eleven to fifteen
years
Over fifteen
years
Citizenship by years in US

22. The majority of Brazilians (85.6%) are
employed and 12.4% are business
owners.
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

23. Business owners (50%), one student and one
housewife have some college education or a
degree. Employed with college degree (11.2%) are
considered outliers. The rest is between High
School and Elementary.
Employed
Student
Unemployed
Business owner
Freelance worker
Housewife
Employment
1
2
3
4
5
Education
214211
204
198180
146
14
1

24. The typical Brazilian household is
composed of a total of 3 to 4 people.

25. Adults over 21 are the majority in the
household: 82%.

26. Children under 21 are minority: 18%.

27. Almost half (40.4%) of the Brazilians have
been in US from 1 to 3 years. The other
half (44.2%) have lived here from 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 US

28. The majority of the immigrants from Brazil
(85.6%) and from almost all other
country have been living in US from 1
to 8 years.
Years in US Brazil Honduras Colombia Cuba Nicaragua Guatemala Mexico El Salvador Guyana Ecuador Dominicana
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%

29. 88% of Brazilians in MA live in a rented
house, while only 10.8% own their
houses.

30. The median of income for those who own
their houses (Over $35,000) is higher
than the median of income for those
who rent ($31,000 to $35,000.)
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
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
35,000
House ownership by income
Own house
Rent

31. REMITTANCES

32. 50% of Brazilians send money once a month,
like almost every other nationality, 33.2%
send it twice a month, 9.2% send money
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 Dominican
Republic
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 Other

33. These are the most important cities for
remittances, the rest have 2% or less and
are included in the Highlights.
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
Sobr‡lia
Governador Valadares
Conselheiro Pena
Belo Horizonte
Ipatinga
S‹o Paulo
Curitiba
Vit—ria
Criciœma
Jauru
Rio de Janeiro
Beneficiary city

34. Here the cities are ordered by the average
amount of the monthly remittance
$-
$200.00
$400.00
$600.00
$800.00
$1,000.00
$1,200.00
$1,400.00
Governador Valadares
Guanh‹es
Rio de Janeiro
Conselheiro Pena
Vila Velha
Curitiba
Belo Horizonte
Vit—
ria
Recife
S‹o Paulo
Jauru
Ipatinga
Criciœma
Sobr‡lia
Goi‰
nia
Fernando Tourinho
Timbaœba
Average monthly remittance by city (n > 3)

35. Here we can find the most important states
for remittances, the rest have 2% or
less.
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
Esp’ritu Santo
S‹o Paulo
Santa Catarina
Paran‡
Pernambuco
Mato Grosso
Rio de Janeiro
Goi‡s
Beneficiary states

36. These are the states ordered by the
average amount of monthly remittance.
$-
$500.00
$1,000.00
$1,500.00
$2,000.00
$2,500.00
Par‡
Cear‡
Rio Grande do Norte
Bahia
Amazonas
Rond™
nia
Minas Gerais
Paran‡
Mato Grosso
Goi‡s
Esp’ritu Santo
Rio de Janeiro
Para’ba
S‹o Paulo
Pernambuco
Santa Catarina
Rio Grande do Sul
Average monthly remittance by State

37. Although the means of the most recent transaction
is $747.78, the mode is $500. The measures of
skewness (3.63) and kurtosis (18.82) confirm
that the distribution is tilted to the left.

38. Also tilted to the left, the distribution of the
money sent by month has a mean of
$1,074.09, with a skewness of 4.7 and a
kurtosis of 33.56.

39. These high mean is due to the outliers who
said that they send $2,000 to $4,000 by
month, including 2 that declared
$10,000.
How much money do you send to your home country per month?
0
2000
4000
6000
8000
10000
244229
217
204
173
170
131
72
18
2191
163
99

40. Even correcting the average for outliers
($3,000 or more), monthly remittances
for Brazilians ($875) are way above the
average of many countries. Cuba stands
below average ($113).
$875
$398
$331
$278 $274
$218
$192 $188 $185 $177
$113
$-
$100
$200
$300
$400
$500
$600
$700
$800
$900
Brazil
Ecuador
México
Guatemala
Guyana
Dominicana
Colombia
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Honduras
Cuba
Monthly remittance by nationality
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE = $294

41. We ran a regression analysis to determine
the effect of Gender, Education, Annual
personal income and Years in US upon
the monthly amount sent on remittances.
The regression model had not statistical
significance.

42. The Median fee for remittances is around
$10. Although the mean is $9.28, the
distribution is tilted (Kurtosis = 8.02) and
the percentiles 50 and 75 are 10.

43. Compared with the 2006 survey, Brazil has a very
different scenario for Preferred Agency. For
example, the First Place, shadowed in green,
for Brazilians is Braz Transfers (33.20%) and the
Second Place, in yellow, is Western Union
(20.08%). Nevertheless, Western Union is No. 1
for almost every other country.
Third places are shadowed in tan.
Preferred agency BRAZIL MEXICO DOMINICANA 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%

44. As expected, the majority of Brazilians
are Very Satisfied (41.6%) or Satisfied
(51.2%) with their preferred remittance
agencies.

45. Compared with the 2003 survey some Brazilians
use other services like Money Orders (11.6%)
or Check Cashing (3.6%) but, like with almost
every other country, the majority (75%) do not
use them.
The other countries make some use of other
services (not listed in the table) like Express,
Phone Cards, Phone Booths & Cargo
Other services Brazil Guyana Ecuador Nicaragua Cuba Colombia Dominicana 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%

46. Compared with the 2006 survey, the first three
reasons to prefer an agency for the Brazilians
are related with the accessibility or
convenience of the service.
For most of the other countries these main
reasons are related to the quality of the
service and its reputation.
Reasons to prefer agency Brazil México Dominicana 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%
Accesible/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%

47. Consistently, the majority (63.6%) of the preferred
agencies for Brazilians are at walking distance
from home, although one out of three (32%)
are at a less than 30 minutes drive.
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 30
minutes drive
Between 30 and 60
minutes
Don't know
Distance to transfer company from home

48. Mother/Father are the main beneficiaries of the
remittances for every country, except for
Guyana.
In second place for Brazil (21.4%) and some other
countries are Husband/Wife.
For Brazil, Nicaragua, Cuba and Dominicana, the
third place if for Children.
Beneficiary Brazil Guatemala México Colombia Nicaragua Ecuador El Salvador Cuba Dominicana 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%

49. Food (24.6%) and Clothing (17.3%) are the main
uses for remittances in Brazil, like in most
countries, in the comparison with the 2003
survey.
While medical expenses are in third place for
Brazilians, for almost every other country it is
Housing.
Nationality
Uses for remittances Brazil Nicaragua Cuba Guatemala El Salvador Colombia Honduras Ecuador México Dominicana 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%

50. Validating the results, Years sending
money shows a very high correlation
with Years living in US (Kendall’s tau-b
= 0.79, p < .01, 2-tailed). The more years
living in US, the more years sending
money to Brazil.
Percentage of the total Years sending money
Years 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%

51. The general same tendency is present for
all nationalities included in the 2003
survey. A high Kendall’s tau-b
correlation of 0.68 was significant at
the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
Years sending money
Years in US Less than 1 1 - 3 4 - 6 7 - 9 10 - 12 13 - 15 > 15 NR Grand Total
Less than 1 3.97% 3.97%
1 - 3 2.33% 17.14% 0.32% 0.13% 0.25% 20.16%
4 - 6 0.88% 5.80% 15.31% 0.57% 22.56%
7 - 9 0.50% 2.52% 5.80% 10.14% 0.32% 0.13% 0.06% 19.47%
10 - 12 0.44% 1.89% 1.76% 3.34% 6.99% 0.13% 14.56%
13 - 15 0.25% 0.38% 1.01% 1.07% 2.46% 1.26% 0.13% 6.55%
> 15 0.13% 1.07% 0.88% 0.82% 2.02% 1.64% 4.22% 0.38% 11.15%
NR 0.13% 0.50% 0.06% 0.38% 0.06% 0.06% 0.25% 0.13% 1.58%
Grand Total 8.63% 29.30% 25.14% 16.45% 11.85% 3.21% 4.60% 0.82% 100.00%

52. Compared to the 2003 survey, almost half of the
Brazilians (48%) have four or more years
sending money to their country, like almost
every other nationality except for Honduras.
Almost the other half (44.4%) have been sending
money for between one and three years.
Nationality
Years sending money Brazil Honduras Colombia Guatemala Nicaragua México Guyana Cuba El Salvador Dominicana Ecuador
Less than a year 7.20% 12.00% 13.00% 12.84% 7.33% 9.22% 6.78% 9.71% 5.71% 10.67% 3.00%
Between one and three years 44.40% 46.67% 40.00% 35.78% 32.00% 31.21% 28.39% 27.43% 25.24% 22.00% 14.00%
Four or more 48.00% 41.33% 47.00% 51.38% 60.00% 59.22% 61.02% 61.71% 69.05% 67.33% 83.00%

53. 92.4% of the Brazilians in MA prefer
sending money by making a deposit
into the beneficiary bank account. Only
6% prefers sending cash.

54. Almost half (42.4%) of the Brazilians would like low cost or
free English classes. One out of four (25.6%) prefers
financing for small business. One out of five (19.6%)
wants Scholarships to pay school and college tuitions.
Still, 6.8% would like low cost or free child care services.
42.4
25.6
19.6
6.8
2
1.6 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.4
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
English classes
Financing small businesses
Scholarships
Child care services
Not specificied
Medical services
Community agencies
Discount in remittances
Social assistance
Training courses
Sponsored services for community

55. Two out of three (66.8) Brazilians would be interested in
contributing with a small portion of their remittances to
support a “development fund” who gives services to the
community.

56. The typical portion (42.8%) of remittances to
contribute to the development fund is 1 percent.
One out of five (20%) could contribute with 2 to
5 percent.

57. We crossed the monthly remittance to Brazil with
the portion that they would give to support an
immigrant fund to estimate what would be the
potential monthly availability for this fund.
For example, 42% of the population (10,104) would
allow 1 percent of their remittances to support
the fund. The monthly average remittance for
this 1 percent is $1,182.19.
So the 1 percent of this remittance category for this
population would be $119,442,85.
The total estimated monthly support for all
categories would be $362,471.
How much money do you send to your home country per month?
Portion to support immigrant fund % of the total Brazilians in MA Average remittance % for support Estimated support
10 percent or more 2.4% 577 795.00$ 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$

58. Compared to the 2006 survey, Brazil has an average percent
(70.4%) of people with bank accounts in the US, along
with El Salvador and Nicaragua. Mexico and Guatemala
are below the average and Jamaica, Bolivia and
Dominicana are above (p < .05).
84.5
75.5 75.0
70.4
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
Jamaica
Bolivia
Dominicana
Brazil
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Mexico
Guatemala
Bank account in US by nationality
Average = 61.1%
Above Average
Below Average

59. We ran another regression analysis to determine
the effect of Gender, Education, Annual
personal income and Years in US upon having
a bank account in the US. This regression
model showed a high statistical significance.
The standardized coefficients confirm that
Education (p < .002) and Years in US (p < .004)
are the most important factors to have a bank
account.
Coefficients(a)
Unstandardized Coefficients
Standardized
Coefficients
Model B Std. Error Beta t 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
a Dependent Variable: Do you have a bank account in the United States?

60. Bank of America is the first bank of choice (44.8%)
for Brazilians as for many other countries.
Nevertheless, the second and third places for
Brazil, Citizens Bank (17.6%) and Sovereign
Bank (4.4%), are not mentioned by any other
country.
Nationality
Bank in US BRAZIL MEXICO DOMINICANA 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%

61. As for almost all other nationalities, 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
Why not bank Brazil México Dominicana 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%

62. When we order the nationalities by their use of
both, credit and debit cards, Brazil (30%) is in
the middle. One third of the Brazilians
(35.6%) have a debit card and another third
(30.8%) doesn’t have any of them.
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
70.00%
Jamaica
Bolivia
Dominicana
Brazil
El Salvador
Nicaragua
Mexico
Guatemala
Credit/Debit card by nationality
Both Credit Debit None of them

63. As with the monthly remittances, Brazilians are
way above the other countries on monthly
payments to the credit card ($744.74), being
the average $325.43. Between the limits of the
average are Nicaragua, Mexico and El
Salvador (p < .05).
$714.74
$413.21
$341.00
$317.65 $301.51
$265.45
$217.76 $212.52
$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
Dominicana
Monthly payments to credit card by nationality

64. The majority of Brazilians (86.6%), as with every
other nationality, does not have economic
obligations in US.
Only 6.3% says to have house payment loans and
3.9% loans for other debts.
Obligations in US Brazil Guyana Cuba Colombia Nicaragua Honduras Ecuador El Salvador Dominicana 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%

65. TRANSNATIONALISM

66. The medians of frequency of travel to country are
shaded in blue. We can see that 72% of
Brazilians have never travel. Other countries
in that case are Guatemala, Cuba, Honduras
Colombia and Nicaragua.
On the contrary, half of the Dominicans travel
once or twice a year.
Travel to country Brazil Guyana Ecuador Rep. Dom. El Salvador México NicaraguaColombia 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%

67. As almost every other nationality, the Brazilians
who travel stay typically two to three weeks
(5.6%) or less than two months (5.2%)
How long do you stay? Brazil Guyana Dominicana 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%

68. Brazil (52.4%) is among the countries with higher
frequency of calls, two or more a week, along
with Dominicana and Ecuador.
Other countries call typically once a week, except
for Guyana and Cuba who mostly call once
every two weeks.
Frequency of calls Dominicana 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%

69. The median length of calls to Brazil is 21 to 30
minutes, along with Dominicana, Colombia,
Honduras and Nicaragua.
The lengthier calls, more than 30 minutes, are to
Guatemala, El Salvador and Mexico.
The calls to Ecuador, Cuba and Guyana are
typically from 11 to 20 minutes.
Length of calls Guatemala El Salvador Mexico Dominicana 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%

70. One hundred percent of Brazilians buy products
made in their country, as 95% of Ecuadorians.
Countries below the average are El Salvador,
Guatemala and Cuba (p < .05).
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
Dominicana
El Salvador
Guatemala
Cuba
Buy nostalgic products
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE = 72%

71. Almost half of the Brazilians (45.4%) buy foods
and spices from their country. One out of five
(20.5%) buy Videos, DVDs and CDs.
The third place is for clothing (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, CDs
Clothing
Newspapers/m
agazines
Books
Alcohol
Cigarettes
Craft Item
s
Others
Nostalgic products

72. Except for Guyana and Ecuador, the majority of
nationalities does not have economic
obligations in their countries, including Brazil
(51.2%) and especially Cuba (92%).
In second place for Brazil and many others is
Savings account (27.1%) and in third place is
Mortgage loan (6.9%).
Economic activities in country Brazil Guyana México El Salvador Cuba Rep. DominicanaNicaragua 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/commercail 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%

73. One out of three Brazilians (37.6%) does not have
financial accounts in their country. 28.9%
have checking accounts and 26% have a
savings account. 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 not
have / NR
Checking
account
Savings
account
Credit card Investment
account
Foreign
currency
savings
Financial accounts in country

74. Only one out of three Brazilians help his/her family
beyond the remittances, second only to
Guyana (46.6%).
Below the average for this help are Mexico, Cuba,
El Salvador and Guatemala (p < .05).
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%
Guyana
Brazil
Ecuador
Honduras
Colom
bia
Nicaragua
Dom
inicana
M
éxico
Cuba
El Salvador
Guatem
ala
Help beyond remittances
AVERAGE = 19.2%
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE

75. The first kind of help beyond remittances is, for
almost all countries including Brazil (37.1%),
payment of real state loans,
While for the other countries the second and third
place are for student loans, loans to family or
life and health insurance, for Brazil these
places are for investment-related expenses
(30.5%) and pension plan (15.2%).
Obligations beyond remittances Brazil Ecuador Guyana Dominicana 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%

76. The average of immigrants who support
hometown associations is 6.7% for all
nationalities.
Brazil is above average with 12.4%), second only
to Guyana (26.3%). El Salvador and Cuba are
below average (p < .05).
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%
G
uyana
Brazil
Ecuador
H
onduras
C
olom
bia
N
icaragua
M
exico
D
om
inicana
G
uatem
ala
El Salvador
C
uba
Support of hometown associations
AVERAGE = 6.7%
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE

77. Only one out of four Brazilians (23.6%) vote in
national elections in Brazil.

78. The vast majority of Brazilians (87.6%) watch TV
or listen to radio programs originated in their
country.

79. Three out of four Brazilians (72%) send or receive
e-mails from people in their country.

80. Almost every Brazilian with College degree (90.9%)
send or receive e-mails from their country,
while only half (46.7%) of those who did not
finished elementary school do it (p < .05).
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 Elementary
School
Unfinished
Elementary
E-mails by education
ABOVE AVERAGE
BELOW AVERAGE
AVERAGE = 71.8%

81. Brazil is above average in Internet usage (72%),
along with Jamaica and Dominicana.
Mexico and Guatemala are below average (p < .05).
76.5%
72.0%
63.3%
36.0% 34.0%
31.0%
24.2% 23.0%
0.0%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
50.0%
60.0%
70.0%
80.0%
Jamaica
Brazil
Dominicana
Bolivia
Nicaragua
El Salvador
Mexico
Guatemala
Internet usage by nationality
BELOW AVERAGE
ABOVE AVERAGE
AVERAGE = 45%

82. CONCLUSIONS

83. DEMOGRAPHICS

84. • These results depicts Brazilians in MA
as a privileged community compared
to immigrants from other countries.
• The vast majority live in Suffolk
county, specially around the Brazilian
Immigration Center, and in Middlesex
county.

85. • Their average age (34) is close to
other immigrant communities. They
are mature and responsible persons
that help their families back home.
• Their high proportion of males (66.4%)
is only second to Guatemala.
• For El Salvador, this proportion is
reversed, they have 63.8% of females.

86. • High school is the typical educational
level for males but many females have
college degrees or some college.
• College education is found only
among students, business owners
and housewives.
• Nevertheless, this education does not
affect their income. It is over $35K,
almost for all educational level.

87. • Also, one out of three Brazilians has a
higher income than other nationalities.
• It is surprising to find this level of
income when the majority is employed
and only a few are business owners.
• The central measures of this income
can be affected by the fact that 32%
win from $31k to $35k, and that 15%
did not answered this question.

88. • Compared to other countries, the
proportion of Brazilians with US
citizenship is the lowest one (3.2%).
• Not surprisingly, those who are
citizens have been living longer in the
US (over 15 years).
• The majority only have been living
here 8 years or less.

89. • The typical Brazilian household is
composed of a total of 3 to 4 adults.
• Children are scarce, because only
12% of the household have them.

90. • 88% of Brazilians in MA live in a
rented house, while only 10.8% own
their houses.
• The median of income for those who
own their houses (Over $35,000) is
higher than the median of income for
those who rent ($31,000 to $35,000.)

91. REMITTANCES

92. • The typical frequency of remittances
is once a month, although one out of
three sends it twice a month.
• Although Sobrália, Governador
Valadares and Conselheiro Pena
receive more transactions, the first
places in average amount sent are
Governador Valadares, Guanhães and
Rio de Janeiro.

93. • Again, Minas Gerais, Espíritu Santo
and São Paulo receive more
transactions but the higher average
amounts are sent to Pará, Ceará and
Rio Grande do Norte.

94. • The mean of the most recent
transaction ($747.78) is probably more
close to the truth than the estimated
monthly remittance ($1,074.09),
because there is a group of people who
declares a way too high monthly
remittance. The typical fee is $10.
• Even correcting the average for outliers
($3,000 or more), monthly remittances
for Brazilians ($875) are way above
the average of many countries.

95. • While the first place for almost every
other country in the comparison is for
Western Union, Brazilians have their own
preferred agency, Braz Transfers, and
are satisfied or very satisfied with it.
• Although three out of four Brazilians
does not use other services at their
agencies, the rest use money orders or
check cashing. Other nationalities
use Express, Phone Cards, Phone
Booths and Cargo.

96. • While the Brazilians choose an agency
because of the accessibility or
convenience of the service, other
immigrants look for the quality of the
service and its reputation.
• That's why the majority of Brazilians
preferred agencies are at walking
distance.

97. • The main beneficiaries for almost all
countries are mother and father, although
Brazil has also husband, wife and children.
• Food (24.6%) and Clothing (17.3%) are the
main uses for remittances in Brazil, like in
most countries in the comparison with the
2003 survey.
• While Medical expenses are in third place
for Brazilians, it is Housing for almost
every other country.

98. • Like almost every other nationality in the
2003 survey, almost half of the Brazilians
(48%) have four or more years sending
money to their country.
• Validating the results, Years sending
money have a perfect correlation with
Years living in US. The more years living in
US, the more years sending money to
Brazil.

99. • Unlike every other nationality, 92.4%
of the Brazilians in MA prefer
sending money by making a deposit
into the beneficiary bank account.
Only 6% prefers sending cash.

100. • Almost half (42.4%) of the Brazilians
would like low cost or free English
classes for their community. One
out of four (25.6%) prefers financing
for small business.
• One out of five (19.6%) wants
Scholarships to pay school and
college tuitions. Still, 6.8% would
like low cost or free child care
services.

101. • Two out of three (66.8%) Brazilians would
be interested in contributing with a small
portion of their remittances to support a
“development fund” who gives services
to the community.
• The typical portion (42.8%) of remittances
to contribute to the development fund is 1
percent. One out of five (20%) could
contribute with 2 to 5 percent.
• The total estimated monthly
support for all categories would be
$362,471.

102. • Compared to the 2006 survey, Brazil has
an average percent (70.4%) of people
with bank accounts in the US, along
with El Salvador and Nicaragua.
• A regression analysis confirmed that the
more important factors to open a bank
account are Education and Years living
in US.

103. • Bank of America is the first bank of
choice (44.8%) for Brazilians as for many
other countries.
• Nevertheless, the second and third
places for Brazil are exclusive: Citizens
Bank (17.6%) and Sovereign Bank (4.4%),
are not mentioned by any other country.
• Brazilians compare to other nationalities
in that accessibility and
convenience are the main reasons
not to have a bank account.

104. • Brazil is in the middle of card usage
compared to the others. One out of three
Brazilians have a debit/credit card, another
one have a debit card and the rest does not
have any of them.
• As with the monthly remittances, Brazilians
are way above the other countries on
monthly payments to the credit card.
• The majority of Brazilians (86.6%),
as with every other nationality,
does not have economic
obligations in US.

105. TRANSNATIONALISM

106. • Only one out of four Brazilians travel
to Brazil, staying typically from 2
weeks to less than 2 months
• The lack of traveling is compensated
by their frequency of calls, twice a
week, and the length of these calls: 21
to 30 minutes.

107. • One hundred percent of Brazilians buy
products made in their country, as
95% of Ecuadorians.
• Almost half of the Brazilians (45.4%)
buy foods and spices from their
country. One out of five (20.5%) buy
Videos, DVDs and CDs.
• The third place is for clothing (17.8%)

108. • Only half of the Brazilians have
economic obligations in their country.
• These are savings accounts and
mortgage loans.
• The financial accounts in their country
for one third of the Brazilians are
mostly checking and savings
accounts.

109. • Only one out of three Brazilians help
his/her family beyond the remittances,
second only to Guyana (46.6%).
• Like with the other nationalities this
help is related to payments of real
state, student or family loans.
• Exclusive for Brazilians are
investment-related expenses (30.5%)
and pension plan (15.2%).

110. • Consistently with their fund support,
Brazilians are above average in
helping hometown associations.
• While only one out of four Brazilians
(23.6%) vote in national elections in
Brazil, the majority watch TV, listen
radio and receive e-mails from Brazil.
• Their use of internet is related to a
higher level of education.
• Brazil is above average in Internet
usage (72%), along with Jamaica
and Dominicana.

111. RECOMMENDATIONS

112. • Brazilians in MA are a privileged
community in comparison with
immigrants from other countries. For
example, women are more educated.
• Also, there is a group with a very high
income sending a large amount in
remittances.

113. • Our main recommendation for
Innovation NetworkforCommunities is
to initiate an effort to create the
development fund to offer services for
this community.
• They are willing to cooperate with this
fund and the estimation of monthly
support makes this effort worthy.

114. • This fund can have partners like Braz
Transfers and Bank of America to
help collecting the support funds
and, for example, to make possible
mortgage loans for housing in the
US.
• Desired services to fund are free
English classes, financing for small
business, scholarships and
affordable child care.

115. • The presence of Transnationalist
behavior seems apparent in the
Brazilian community in MA.
• Nevertheless, to determine the
Transnational level of the Brazilians
with respect to other immigrant
communities, it will be necessary to
create a precise and reliable index.
• We can be of help in designing this
index of Transnationalism.

116. BRAZILIANS IN MA
JULY 2007
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Innovation Network for
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