Many Latinos believe that they can be a part of the U.S. mainstream and still retain a distinctive culture and language, according to a national survey.

The poll of 2,288 Latino citizens and non-citizens showed that 83 percent view the United States as made up of many cultures. Only 10 percent agreed that "the United States has a single core Anglo-Protestant culture."

Regarding assimilation, 38 percent said it is very important for "racial and ethnic groups to change so that they blend into the larger society, as in the idea of a melting pot of cultures" and 35 percent said that such blending is somewhat important.

However, 66 percent said that it is very important for Latinos to maintain their distinct culture and 63 percent said that it is very important that future generations of U.S. Latinos speak Spanish.

The national survey was conducted by the Pew Hispanic Center and the Kaiser Family Foundation to report on Latino political views. It was based on telephone interviews conducted April 21-June 9. The survey was released at a Washington news conference July 22 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.83 percent.

At the news conference, Roberto Suro, Pew Hispanic Center director, said the results indicate a "seeming paradox" in the willingness to blend in and the desire to maintain a distinctive culture and preserve Spanish.

"But these are not perceived as mutually exclusive by Latinos," said Suro. "There is a perception that this is a country where it is possible to be in the mainstream and maintain a distinct identity."

Regarding what an immigrant has to do to be part of U.S. society, 79 percent said an immigrant has to believe in the Constitution; 65 percent said vote in elections; 55 percent said speak English; and 54 percent said be a citizen.

A parallel survey of all Americans showed that 92 percent believed the United States is made up of many cultures and only 5 percent said it has a single Anglo-Protestant culture.

Suro said that the term "Anglo-Protestant culture" was chosen because it is used by Samuel Huntington, chairman of the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies.

Huntington has created controversy by his strong criticisms of immigration flows from Latin America. He argues that Latinos have not assimilated into U.S. culture; have formed their own political and linguistic enclaves; and have rejected the Anglo-Protestant values that are the foundations of U.S. society.

The Pew-Kaiser survey did not ask respondents to give their views about the possible positive or negative aspects of a multicultural or an Anglo-Protestant cultural United States.