US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It's the first revision in 27 years

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: AP

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — For the first time in 27 years, the U.S. government is changing how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity, an effort that federal officials believe will more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.

The revisions to the minimum categories on race and ethnicity, announced Thursday by the Office of Management and Budget, are the latest effort to label and define the people of the United States. This evolving process often reflects changes in social attitudes and immigration, as well as a wish for people in an increasingly diverse society to see themselves in the numbers produced by the federal government.

“You can’t underestimate the emotional impact this has on people,” said Meeta Anand, senior director for Census & Data Equity at The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. “It’s how we conceive ourselves as a society. ... You are seeing a desire for people to want to self-identify and be reflected in data so they can tell their own stories.”

Under the revisions, questions about race and ethnicity that previously were asked separately on forms will be combined into a single question. That will give respondents the option to pick multiple categories at the same time, such as “Black,” “American Indian” and “Hispanic.” Research has shown that large numbers of Hispanic people aren’t sure how to answer the race question when that question is asked separately because they understand race and ethnicity to be similar and they often pick “some other race” or do not answer the question.



Read more: https://apnews.com/article/race-ethnicity-census-bureau-hispanics-0b2c325b683efd95e8e8e24235654abd

[Pas-de-Calais]

1. Retired Fed here

Back in ‘97 I was involved in many meetings on the changes described in the article.

Wasn’t difficult to change or implement. Time consumed was to ensure we got everything correct. And we did-back then.

They’ll get it correct this time too

[FakeNoose]

2. Race/ethnicity is rather straightforward, but wait until they fiddle with "gender"

[IronLionZion]

3. Republicans like overcounting whites in the US Census

because they fear becoming a minority

[Hermit-The-Prog]

4. How about "mutt"? I never get counted.

[Puppyjive]

5. I find race labeling deplorable

I think it divides human beings. We are diverse in color and culture, but human beings are one species.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Odd that it says "Far East" is "widely regarded as pejorative", but they want to use "Middle East"

Both terms are geographically Eurocentric, and so maybe not the best terms for a US census, but I can't see how one is "pejorative" and the other fine.

[maxsolomon]

7. They need to add a box for Irish-German-Polish-Hungarian American

ONLY THEN WILL I BE HAPPY.

[madville]

8. What about us Irish-Welch-Germans?

I feel left out.

[maxsolomon]

10. I get a box

You get a box

Everyone gets a box

[Bucky]

9. I think American should be ethnically categorized by the music they listen to

I'm an Elevator-Music-American

[róisín_dubh]

11. I remember having a huge debate

with a friend from Madrid. He got his PhD in the US and we were both on the job market at the time. He always checked the Latino box. I mean always. And I didn’t think that was right. His argument would not paint him in a good light, but he figured it would help him get considered for more jobs.