Race, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB), is a self-identification data item in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify.[1] The categories represent a social-political construct designed for the race or races they considered themselves to be and "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country".[2] The Office of Management and Budget defines the concept of race as outlined on the US Census to take into account both concepts of ancestry and culture.[3] Race and ethnicity were considered separate and distinct identities, with Hispanic origin asked as a separate question. Thus, in addition to their race, all respondents are also categorized by membership in one of two ethnicities: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino. See Ethnicity (United States Census).
Categories
The racial classifications used by the Census Bureau adhere to the 30 October 1997, Federal Register Notice entitled "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity" issued by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The following is a direct, full quote from that official document:[4]
- "American Indian or Alaska Native. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintains tribal affiliation or community attachment."[5]
- "Asian. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, the Philippine Islands, India, Malaysia, Japan, Cambodia, China, Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam."[6]
- "Black or African American. A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as 'Haitian' or 'Negro' can be used in addition to 'Black' or 'African American.'"[7]
- "Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands."[8]
- " Caucasian. (AKA 'White') Is a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa.[9]
- "Some other race."[10] To increase comparability, the 2010 US Census is planning on removing this category.[11]
In addition, in 2000 the Census Bureau allowed respondents to check more than racial entry, to satisfy the needs of "people who are not easily classified into a single race." Those who did so were recorded as having selected Two or more races.
Census 2000
Race was asked differently in the Census 2000 in several ways than previously. Most significantly, respondents were given the option of selecting one or more race categories to indicate their racial identities. Data shows that nearly seven million Americans identified themselves as members of two or more races. Because of these changes, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Caution must be used when interpreting changes in the racial composition of the U.S. population over time.
The 7th federal census, in 1850, asked for Color[12] and gave the choices:
|
The 10th federal census, in 1880, asked for Color[13] and gave the choices:
|
| The 22nd federal census, in 2000, had a "short form"[14] that asked two race/ancestry questions:
1. Is the person Spanish/Hispanic/Latino?
2. What is the person's race?
This census acknowledged that "race categories include both racial and national-origin groups." |
The following definitions apply to the 2000 census only.[15] Vorlage:2000 Race US Census map
- The term White refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa." It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, British, Iraqi, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.
- "The term Black or African American refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa." It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Jamaican, Caribbean-American, Nigerian, or Haitian.
- "American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) refer to people having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment."
- "Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian," "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Taiwanese", "Vietnamese", and "Other Asian".
- "The term Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander (NHPI) refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicate their race as "Native Hawaiian", "Guamanian or Chamorro", "Samoan", and "Other Pacific Islander."
- Some other races includes all other responses not included in the "White", "Black or African American", "American Indian and Alaska Native", "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" race categories described above.
- Two or more races refers to multiracial people. People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses.
Comparability
The Census Bureau warns that data on race in Census 2000 are not directly comparable to those collected in previous censuses.[15] Regulations requiring the new language were published by the Office of Management and Budget in the Federal Register[16] in 1997. In 2001, the National Institute of Health adopted the new language to comply with Directive 15.[17]
In the absence of any racial choice which fits their understanding of themselves, 42.2 percent of Hispanics will check 'Other' for their race.[10] In response to this trend, the 2010 US Census is planning on removing the "some other race" category.[11]
References
See also
- Ethnicity (United States Census)
- Ancestry (United States Census)
- Language (United States Census)
- United States Census, 2000
- Race
- Social construction
- Racial demographics of the United States
Vorlage:Demographics of the United States
- ↑ The American FactFinder
- ↑ Ikeda, Dave. IM Diversity. What's an Asian American Now Anyway? 2006. 26 October 2006.
- ↑ American Anthropological Association. "A Brief History of the OMB Directive 15." 1997. May 18, 2007.[1]
- ↑ "Revisions to the Standards for the Classification of Federal Data on Race and Ethnicity"
- ↑ Oguwale, Stella U. US Census Bureau. "The American Indian and Alaskan Native Population: 2000." 2002. May 14, 2007. [2]
- ↑ Barnes, Jessica S. US Census Bureau. "The Asian Population: 2000." 2002. May 14, 2007. [3]
- ↑ McKinnon, Jesse. US Census Bureau. "The Black Population: 2000." 2001. May 14, 2007. [4]
- ↑ Grieco, Elizabeth M. US Census Bureau. "The Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Population:2000." 2001. May 13, 2007. [5]
- ↑ Grieco, Elizabeth M. US Census Bureau. "The White Population: 2000." 2001. May 14, 2007. [6]
- ↑ a b Grieco, Elizabeth M., Racheal C. Cassidy. US Census Bureau. "Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin: 2000." 2001. May 13, 2007.[7]
- ↑ a b US Census Press Releases. "Census Bureau to Test Changes in Questionnaire,New Response Technology" 2006. April 30, 2007. [8]
- ↑ Ancestry.com, 1850 chart (pdf)
- ↑ Ancestry.com, 1880 chart (pdf)
- ↑ 2000 US Census form (pdf)
- ↑ a b U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File. Race Retrieved 18 September 2006.
- ↑ OMB Directive 15 Federal Register Notice October 30, 1997 Retrieved on 18 September 2006.
- ↑ National Institute of Health Amendment: NIH Policy and Guidelines on the Inclusion of Women and Minorities as Subjects in Clinical Research - October, 2001 Retrieved on 18 September 2006.