Census Bureau Studies Racial, Ethnic Identities, Seeks Public Input on New Categories
The US Census Bureau is actively seeking public feedback on proposed changes to how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, while also releasing new research that sheds light on how diverse groups of US residents view their own identities, The Associated Press reports.
These changes and the new research come after the US government revised its approach to racial and ethnic categorizations earlier this year, marking the first update in 27 years.
The recent revisions, aimed at more accurately counting Hispanic and Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) residents, will combine previously separate questions on race and ethnicity into a single query. This will allow respondents to choose multiple categories simultaneously, for example, “Black,” “American Indian,” and “Hispanic.” Research has indicated that many Hispanic individuals struggle with the separate race question, often choosing “some other race” or not answering, as they view race and ethnicity as similar.
A significant addition is a new MENA category, allowing those with origins in countries like Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, and Syria to self-identify rather than being encouraged to choose “white,” as was previously the case. The 2020 Census, which allowed write-in responses, revealed over 3.1 million US residents identify as MENA.
New research released by the Census Bureau indicates that in the 2020 count, around 80%, or 2.4 million, of those who wrote in a MENA background selected “white” as their race. Some 16%, or nearly 500,000, selected “some other race,” while 4.5% and 1.6% identified as Asian and Black, respectively. Within MENA subgroups, individuals of Lebanese and Syrian backgrounds primarily identified as white, while those with North African, Berber, and Moroccan backgrounds more often selected Black. Those with Omani, Emirati, and Saudi origins were more likely to identify as Asian.
A separate Census Bureau report highlighted notable variations in racial identity among US Hispanic groups in the 2020 census. “Some other race” and American Indian and Alaska Native responses were most common among those from Central America. White and “some other race” responses were most prevalent among South American residents, while Black and “Black and some other race” answers were more common among those from the Caribbean.
These variations also emerged by region and state. The Northeast and West, including California, Maryland, and New York, had the highest share of Hispanic individuals selecting “some other race.” White or “white and some other race” was more prevalent in the South. The Northeast had the highest share of Hispanic respondents identifying as Black, while the Midwest, particularly South Dakota, had the highest rate of Hispanic residents identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native.
The updated race and ethnicity categories will be used in the 2027 American Community Survey, the most comprehensive survey of US life, and the 2030 census, which determines congressional seat allocation and Electoral College votes.
