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  (Photo: Arizona Daily Star / Chris Richards, File)
  The Rev. Samuel Santana leads the New Life congregation in prayer during the congregation's Spanish language service Sunday, Aug. 19, 2007, in Tucson, Ariz. Hispanics converting from Catholicism — particularly new immigrants to the U.S. — are fueling growth in Pentecostalism, which is a form of evangelical Christianity that is typically more spirit-filled and less structured than traditional Christian worship.

Following the recent U.S. Presidential elections, where Hispanics played an important role in the outcome, the Barna Group have announced the launch of its new Hispanic research division.

"Today, Latinos represent nearly one out of every six adults in the U.S. and projections show this number continuing to grow," the group said in a release.

Barna: Hispanics has launched with the help of three partners: American Bible Society, OneHope, and the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

The new research division will provide ongoing snapshots of today's U.S. Hispanics and the real-life issues they are facing.

"Perhaps more than ever, the values, beliefs, behaviors and worldviews of Hispanics affect the contours of American life. Understanding Latinos and their impact is important for anyone interested in thoughtfully engaging with cultural, social and spiritual trends."

The launching coincides with the release of its first report, "Hispanic-Americans: faith, values and priorities."

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The study reveals the attitudes of Latinos about faith, family and social issues and ideas about how their opinions affect the social, economic and spiritual environment in the United States.

According to the study, 54 percent identify themselves first as Hispanic or Latino before American, Catholic or Christian. It also found that 42 percent say the Bible influences their views of political and social issues.

The fastest-growing minority group has drawn the attention of the public eye after becoming a pivotal part of the recent elections, where President Barack Obama was re-elected, winning 71 percent of the Latino vote.

Hispanics represent nearly 50 million people in the country, and are now said to be the second-most important demographic voting group in America, behind women.

Barna predicts that by 2050, the largest minority group in the U.S. will makeup up 25 to 30 percent of the population.