Counting Race: How the Census Measures Identity and What Americans Think About It
How the U.S. government measures race has changed substantially since censuses began in 1790. Today, Americans differ on whether the government should ask about race.
Demographic Research
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Demographic Research
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The changing categories the U.S. census has used to measure race
Racial categories, which have been on every U.S. census, have changed from decade to decade, reflecting the politics and science of the times.
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Q&A: How Pew Research Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S.
In this Q&A, we speak with Senior Demographer Jeffrey S. Passel about how the Center estimates the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S.
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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.
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Assessing the effects of generation using age-period-cohort analysis
In this piece, we demonstrate how to conduct age-period-cohort analysis, a statistical tool, to determine the effects of generation.
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How Pew Research Center will report on generations moving forward
When we have the data to study groups of similarly aged people over time, we won’t always default to using the standard generational definitions and labels, like Gen Z, Millennials or Baby Boomers.
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5 things to keep in mind when you hear about Gen Z, Millennials, Boomers and other generations
It can be useful to talk about generations, but generational categories are not scientifically defined and labels can lead to stereotypes and oversimplification.
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How a coding error provided a rare glimpse into Latino identity among Brazilians in the U.S.
An error in how the Census Bureau processed data from a national survey provided a rare window into how Brazilians living in the U.S. view their identity.
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Why the U.S. census doesn’t ask Americans about their religion
The Census Bureau has collected data on Americans’ income, race, ethnicity, housing and other things, but it has never directly asked about their religion.
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Government considering changes ahead of 2030 census – including no more forms for most Americans
The bureau is considering counting most Americans using Social Security data, IRS files and other administrative records.
