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.
Race & Ethnicity
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Publications
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Rising share of lawmakers – but few Republicans – are using the term Latinx on social media
One-quarter of United States lawmakers mentioned the term on Facebook or Twitter during the 116th Congress.
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Key findings about multiracial identity in the U.S. as Harris becomes vice presidential nominee
Some 6.2 million U.S. adults – or 2.4% of the country’s adult population – report being two or more races.
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Americans see pressure, rather than genuine concern, as big factor in company statements about racism
52% of US adults say it is very or somewhat important that companies and organizations make public statements about political or social issues.
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About One-in-Four U.S. Hispanics Have Heard of Latinx, but Just 3% Use It
The term Latinx has emerged in recent years as a gender-neutral alternative to the pan-ethnic terms Latino, Latina and Hispanic. However, awareness of Latinx is relatively low among the population it is meant to describe.
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Amid pandemic, Black and Hispanic worshippers more concerned about safety of in-person religious services
Black and Hispanic worshippers are less likely than their white counterparts to say they have gone to a house of worship recently.
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Voters Rarely Switch Parties, but Recent Shifts Further Educational, Racial Divergence
Neither party nets an overall advantage from the 9% of voters who have switched since 2018.
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Outside U.S., Floyd’s killing and protests sparked discussion on legislators’ Twitter accounts
Many legislators in four English-speaking countries directly addressed George Floyd’s killing and the subsequent protests on Twitter.
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Coronavirus Economic Downturn Has Hit Latinos Especially Hard
As the nation’s economy contracted at a record rate in recent months, the group’s unemployment rate rose sharply, particularly among Hispanic women, and remains higher among Hispanic workers than U.S. workers overall.
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How removing unauthorized immigrants from census statistics could affect House reapportionment
If unauthorized U.S. immigrants aren’t counted, 3 states could each lose a seat they otherwise would have had and 3 others each could gain one.
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Before COVID-19, many Latinos worried about their place in America and had experienced discrimination
About half of U.S. Hispanics said in our December 2019 survey that they had serious concerns about their place in the country.
