Jan 8, 2025 Story by: Editor
The U.S. Census Bureau has released new research exploring how individuals across diverse backgrounds perceive their racial and ethnic identities. This initiative comes as the agency seeks public input on revising race and ethnicity classifications.
Earlier this year, the federal government updated its approach to categorizing residents by race and ethnicity to better capture the identities of Hispanic individuals and those with Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) heritage. These changes mark the first revisions in 27 years.
Key Changes in Classification
The updates include merging separate race and ethnicity questions into a single query, allowing respondents to select multiple categories simultaneously, such as “Black,” “American Indian,” and “Hispanic.” Research indicates that many Hispanic individuals struggle with the race question when it is separate, often selecting “some other race” or leaving the question unanswered because they view race and ethnicity as overlapping concepts.
A significant addition is the inclusion of a MENA category. Previously, individuals from countries like Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, and Syria were encouraged to identify as white. Now, they can select the newly established MENA category.
Insights from the 2020 Census
Data from the 2020 census reveals that over 3.1 million U.S. residents identify as MENA. However, the distribution of their responses varied significantly:
- Approximately 2.4 million individuals (around 80%) identifying as MENA did so under the white category.
- Nearly 500,000 people (16%) selected “some other race.”
- Around 139,000 individuals (4.5%) identified as Asian.
- Close to 50,000 MENA write-ins (1.6%) categorized themselves as Black.
Among MENA subgroups, Lebanese and Syrian individuals were most likely to identify as white, while North African, Berber, and Moroccan respondents had higher rates of identifying as Black. Omani, Emirati, and Saudi respondents showed the highest rates of identifying as Asian, according to the Census Bureau report.
Variations in Hispanic Identity
A separate report released by the Census Bureau highlighted differences in racial identity among Hispanic groups in the 2020 census.
- Central American respondents frequently selected “some other race” and American Indian and Alaska Native.
- South American respondents predominantly chose white or “some other race.”
- Caribbean respondents often identified as Black or “Black and some other race.”
Geographic differences were also noted. For instance:
- The Northeast and West, particularly states like California, Maryland, and New York, had the highest percentage of Hispanic respondents identifying as “some other race.”
- The South saw a higher prevalence of Hispanic individuals identifying as white or “white and some other race.”
- Black identification was most common among Hispanic residents in the Northeast, while the Midwest had the largest share identifying as American Indian and Alaska Native, especially in South Dakota.
Future Implementation
These revised race and ethnicity classifications will be applied in the 2027 American Community Survey and the 2030 census. These surveys are crucial for determining congressional representation and Electoral College votes.
Public Input Invited
The Census Bureau is inviting public feedback on these changes through mid-February. The agency is particularly interested in hearing from communities who feel misclassified or believe additional categories should be included to better reflect their identities. Source: AP News
