Black and Hispanic Americans See Their Origins as Central to Who They Are, Less So for White Adults
About half of Americans see their identity reflected very well in the census’s race and ethnicity questions.
Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World
About half of Americans see their identity reflected very well in the census’s race and ethnicity questions.
The national total in the 2020 census was largely accurate, but the Census Bureau has estimated miscounts for some states and demographic groups.
The U.S. Hispanic population reached 62.1 million in 2020, an increase of 23% over the previous decade.
Federal officials are considering major changes in how they ask Americans about their race and ethnicity.
Federal officials are proposing new changes to census questions on racial and Hispanic identity.
Biracial adults who are white and American Indian are among the least likely of mixed-race adults to consider themselves multiracial (only 25% do). They are among the most likely to say their multiracial background has been neither an advantage nor a disadvantage.
Americans of mixed race, American Indians, Pacific Islanders and Hispanics were among those most likely to check different boxes.
The sharp decline in U.S. births after the onset of the Great Recession—especially among Hispanics—has slowed the nation’s transition to a majority-minority youth population.
The number of Hispanics counted in the 2010 Census has been larger than expected in most states for which the Census Bureau has released detailed population totals so far, with the widest gaps in states with relatively small Hispanic populations.
The topic of racial identification on census forms has a long, fascinating history, which has generated fresh debate as the 2010 Census begins.
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