Race and US Census PDF

Population and Society Prof. Childs 3.2 Race, Ethnicity, and the US Census Race Counts (Strmic-Paul et al.) The Myth of a Majority-Minority America (Alba et al.) The US will become...

Population and Society Prof. Childs 3.2 Race, Ethnicity, and the US Census Race Counts (Strmic-Paul et al.) The Myth of a Majority-Minority America (Alba et al.) The US will become ‘minority white’ (Frey) Social Construction of Race White = the standard in USA (but it’s changing). Any variation classified as non-White. Hypodescent: The principle that a child of mixed descent is automatically classified as a minority. A legacy of the “one-drop rule”; a single Black ancestor confers Black status. Race Counts (Strmic-Paul) Three Issues How do individuals self-identify? Who counts as a member of which racial or ethnic group? What racial and ethnic groups should be counted? Changing Data Collection Method Original Racial Categories 1790 - 1840 Census takers devised own forms according to instructions from the government. Free white males, free white females, slaves, all other persons. Why Mulatto? Find data to support plantation slavery (and segregation after end of slavery). “Document” the inferiority of mixed Black-Whites: lower fertility, shorter lives. Post Civil Rights Movement “Racial and ethnic classification [e.g., on the US Census] can be justified only if the data produced have a legitimate use in terms of combating discrimination, planning programs, or conducting program evaluation.” U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 1960 Census First time mailed to households and filled out by individuals themselves. First time people could self-identify on race question. Undercounts and New Considerations Hispanic: Confusion on how to identify racially after first selecting “Hispanic” (ethnicity). Often select “some other race”. Solutions? Include Hispanic among the race categories? Middle Eastern and North African (MENA). Advantages/disadvantages to self-identifying as White? Census Bureau’s Current (as of 2024) Race/Ethnicity Categories American Indian or Alaska Native Asian Black or African American Hispanic or Latino (used to be ethnicity) Middle Eastern or North African (new in 2024) Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander White The US will become ‘minority white’ in 2045, Census projects (Frey) Two Trends Gains will continue in minority group populations. o Immigration (creates younger age composition). o Higher birth rates (due to younger age composition). White population will age, CDR will exceed CBR (negative RNI). Demographic Trends Hispanic: Just about replacement fertility, higher immigration, younger. Population should increase. Asian: Below-replacement fertility, higher immigration, younger. Population should increase. Black: Near replacement fertility, some immigration, younger. Population might increase or decline. White: Below-replacement fertility, little immigration, older. Population should decline. The Myth of a Majority-Minority America (Alba, Levy, and Myers) Who is Counted as White? White Anglo-Saxon Protestants Add in Dutch, Germans, Scandinavians Add in Irish, Italians, Eastern Europeans Add in North Africans and Middle Easterners who self-identify as White Who Is Not Counted as White? White = Non-Hispanic White Excludes Hispanics who self-identify as White Excludes people of mixed ancestry who may self-identify as White o Hypodescent: The principle that a child of mixed descent is automatically classified as a minority. Multiracial Category Checking more than one category only possible from 2000 census. Fastest growing category reflecting increasing propensity to marry person of different race/ethnicity, increasing propensity to identify as multiracial. Growth: 6.8 million (2000 census) to 9.0 million (2010 census) to 33.8 million (2020 census).