Mark Hugo Lopez, Director of race and ethnicity research at Pew Research Center, discusses how Americans identify their race, ethnicity, and foreign country origins. They talk about evolving identities, immigration trends, changing views on diversity in America, and a bit of politics.
Identification options impact how people see themselves, shown by the increase in multiracial population due to improved census questioning precision.
Racial and ethnic identity evolution in the U.S. is exemplified by changes in census questioning and inclusion of Hispanic identity in government surveys, reflecting shifting self-identification approaches.
Deep dives
America's Changing Identity
Over the past few decades, American views on immigration have significantly shifted. In the 1990s, a majority of Americans viewed immigrants as a burden, but today, around two-thirds consider them a strength. The 2020 census revealed a notable increase in the population identifying as multiracial due to improved questionnaire precision, showcasing how identification options impact how people see themselves.
Evolution of Racial and Ethnic Identity
Racial and ethnic identity evolution in the U.S. is exemplified by changes in census questioning. The 2000 census allowed individuals to select multiple racial identities, a significant shift. The inclusion of Hispanic identity in government surveys from the 1960s to the 1980s also reflected changing self-identification approaches.
Complexities in Racial Identification
The complexities of racial identity are evident in Pew Research Center's survey findings, illustrating nuances in self-identification, particularly among Hispanics. The survey's unique approach highlighted discrepancies between census responses and open-ended self-identification, revealing the intricate nature of how individuals view their race and ethnicity.
Impact of Nuanced Identity on Society
The Pew survey underscores the importance of disaggregating racial and ethnic data to capture diverse identities within groups like Afro-Latinos and multiracial Black Americans. Understanding the nuances of identity allows for more comprehensive demographic profiles and aids in addressing societal complexities.
Mark Hugo Lopez is the director of race and ethnicity research at Pew Research Center. He and his colleagues recently conducted a sweeping survey about how Americans identify their racial, ethnic and foreign country origins.The results show that how we see ourselves isn’t fixed. It fluctuates and evolves -- revealing that identity can be as much a function of how we measure it as how we regard ourselves in a given moment. Cardiff and Mark also discuss immigration trends, how American views on diversity have changed over time, and even a little bit of politics.