As the U.S. Census Bureau receives public feedback on how it counts people into new racial and ethnic groups, it has released new research that reflects how U.S. residents from diverse backgrounds view their racial and ethnic identities.
Earlier this year, the U.S. government changed the way it classifies people by race and ethnicity to more accurately count people of Hispanic, Middle Eastern, and North African descent. Before this year, the category had not changed in 27 years.
In the revised bill, questions related to race and ethnicity that were previously asked separately are integrated into one question. Respondents can then select multiple categories simultaneously, such as ‘Black’, ‘American Indian’, or ‘Hispanic’. Studies have shown that a large number of Hispanic people are unsure how to answer when asked race questions separately, because they understand that race and ethnicity are similar and often choose “other race” or do not answer the question.
The Middle East and North Africa category has also been added to the choices available for questions about race and ethnicity. People from Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Syria and elsewhere have been encouraged to identify as white, but will now have the option to identify themselves in a new group.
More than 3.1 million U.S. residents identified as Middle Eastern and North African, also known as MENA, according to the 2020 Census, which asked respondents to list their background on a form.
A new study released by the Census Bureau this month found that more than 2.4 million people, or about 80%, who said their background was MENA, falling into the white category when asked about race in the 2020 census questionnaire.
Nearly 500,000 (more than 16%) of those who identified as MENA identified themselves as “another race,” and approximately 139,000 (4.5%) of MENA identified as Asian. Nearly 50,000 MENA write-ins, or 1.6%, fell into the black racial category.
Among MENA subgroups, people of Lebanese and Syrian backgrounds were most likely to identify their race as white, while North Africans, Berbers and Moroccans were most likely to identify their race as black. The report found that people with Omani, Emirati and Saudi backgrounds had the highest proportion of Asians.
In a separate report released this month, the Census Bureau also found notable differences in racial identity among U.S. Hispanic groups in the 2020 census.
“Other race” and American Indian and Alaska Native responses were most common among Central Americans. Responses of white and “some other race” were most prevalent among residents of South America. The report found that black alone and “black and other races” responses were most common among Caribbean people.
There were also differences by region and state.
The Northeast and West, especially California, Maryland, and New York, had the highest percentages of Hispanic respondents who identified themselves as “some other race.” Identifying as white alone or “a race other than white” was most common among Hispanic respondents in the South. The Northeast had the highest percentage of Hispanic residents who reported being black or “black and other races.” The Midwest had the highest percentage of Hispanic residents who identified as American Indian and Alaska Native, especially in South Dakota, the report said.
The new race and ethnicity categories will be used by the Census Bureau starting with the 2027 American Community Survey, the most comprehensive survey of American life, and the 2030 Census, which determines how many congressional seats and Electoral College votes each state gets.
The Census Bureau is seeking public comment through mid-February. The Office for National Statistics is keen to hear from groups who believe they have been misclassified or who think any group should be added to the list of codes used to count people by race and ethnicity.
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Follow Mike Schneider on social platforms @MikeSchneiderAP.
