data essay | Feb 12, 2024

Who Are You? The Art and Science of Measuring Identity

As a shop that studies human behavior through surveys and other social scientific techniques, we have a good line of sight into the contradictory nature of human preferences. Here's a look at how we categorize our survey participants in ways that enhance our understanding of how people think and behave.

report | Jan 18, 2024

Language and Traditions Are Considered Central to National Identity

Across more than 20 countries surveyed, a median of 91% say being able to speak their country’s most common language is important for being considered a true national. And 81% say sharing their country’s customs and traditions is important for true belonging.

report | Sep 20, 2023

Latinos’ Views of and Experiences With the Spanish Language

Most U.S. Latinos speak Spanish: 75% say they are able to carry on a conversation in Spanish pretty well or very well. But not all Latinos are Spanish speakers, and about half (54%) of non-Spanish-speaking Latinos have been shamed by other Latinos for not speaking Spanish.

short reads | Sep 5, 2023

Who is Hispanic?

The Census Bureau estimates there were roughly 63.7 million Hispanics in the U.S. as of 2022, a new high. They made up 19% of the nation’s population.

report | May 8, 2023

Diverse Cultures and Shared Experiences Shape Asian American Identities

Among Asian Adults living in the U.S., 52% say they most often describe themselves using ethnic labels that reflect their heritage and family roots, either alone or together with "American." About six-in-ten (59%) say that what happens to Asians in the U.S. affects their own lives.

video | Aug 2, 2022

Documentary: Being Asian in America

In this companion documentary, Asian American participants described navigating their own identity. These participants were not part of our focus group study but were similarly sampled to tell their own stories.

video | Aug 2, 2022

Extended Interviews: Being Asian in America

The stories shared by participants in our video documentary reflect opinions, experiences and perspectives similar to those we heard in the focus groups. Watch extended interviews that were not included in our documentary but present thematically relevant stories.

data essay | Aug 2, 2022

What It Means To Be Asian in America

In a new analysis based on dozens of focus groups, Asian American participants described the challenges of navigating their own identity in a nation where the label “Asian” brings expectations about their origins, behavior and physical self.

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