CUNY SOC 217 - Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin

Unformatted text preview:

1U.S. Census BureauU.S. Department of CommerceEconomics and Statistics AdministrationU.S. CENSUS BUREAUIssued March 2001C2KBR/01-1Overview of Race and Hispanic OriginCensus 2000 BriefU S C E N S U S B U R E A UHelping You Make Informed Decisions2000Every census must adapt tothe decade in which it isadministered. New tech-nologies emerge andchange the way the U.S.Census Bureau collects andprocesses data. More im-portantly, changinglifestyles and emergingsensitivities among thepeople of the United Statesnecessitate modificationsto the questions that areasked. One of the most im-portant changes for Census2000 was the revision ofthe questions on race andHispanic origin to better re-flect the country’s growingdiversity.This report, part of a seriesthat analyzes populationand housing data collectedfrom Census 2000, pro-vides a portrait of race andHispanic origin in theUnited States and dis-cusses their distributionsat the national level. It is based on theCensus 2000 Redistricting (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which is among thefirst Census 2000 data products to be re-leased and is used by each state to drawboundaries for legislative districts.1UNDERSTANDING RACEAND HISPANIC ORIGIN DATAFROM CENSUS 2000The 1990 census questions on raceand Hispanic origin were changedfor Census 2000.The federal government considers race andHispanic origin to be two separate anddistinct concepts. For Census 2000, thequestions on race and Hispanic origin wereasked of every individual living in theUnited States. The question on Hispanicorigin asked respondents if they wereByElizabeth M. Grieco andRachel C. CassidyFigure 1.Reproduction of Questions on Race and Hispanic Origin From Census 2000Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2000 questionnaire.NOTE: Please answer BOTH Questions 5 and 6.Is this person Spanish/ Hispanic/ Latino? Mark the"No" box if not Spanish /Hispanic /Latino.5.Yes, Puerto RicanYes, CubanWhat is this person's race? Mark one or more races toindicate what this person considers himself/herself to be.6.WhiteBlack, African Am., or NegroAmerican Indian or Alaska Native — Print name of enrolled or principal tribe.Some other race — Print race.JapaneseKoreanVietnameseNative HawaiianGuamanian or ChamorroSamoanOther Pacific Islander — Print race.➔Asian IndianChineseFilipinoOther Asian — Print race.✗✗No, not Spanish /Hispanic /LatinoYes, Mexican, Mexican Am., ChicanoYes, other Spanish /Hispanic /Latino — Print group.1 This report includes data for 50 states and the Dis-trict of Columbia, but not Puerto Rico. The Census 2000Redistricting (Public Law 94-171) Summary File will bereleased on a state-by-state basis in March 2001. It doesnot contain data for specific Hispanic origin groups (forexample, Mexican or Puerto Rican) or specific racegroups or tribes (for example, Chinese, Samoan, orCherokee), and therefore these specific groups are notdiscussed in this report.2U.S. Census BureauSpanish, Hispanic, or Latino.2 Thequestion on race asked respondentsto report the race or races they con-sidered themselves to be. Both ques-tions are based on self-identification.The question on Hispanic originfor Census 2000 was similar to the1990 census question, except forits placement on the questionnaire.For Census 2000, the question onHispanic origin was asked directlybefore the question on race. Forthe 1990 census, the order was re-versed — the question on race pre-ceded questions on age and maritalstatus, which were followed by thequestion on Hispanic origin.The question on race for Census2000 was different from the onefor the 1990 census in severalways. Most significantly, respon-dents were given the option of se-lecting one or more race categoriesto indicate their racial identities. 3Because of these changes, the Cen-sus 2000 data on race are not di-rectly comparable with data fromthe 1990 census or earlier cen-suses. Caution must be used wheninterpreting changes in the racialcomposition of the U.S. populationover time.Census 2000 used establishedfederal guidelines to collectand present data on race andHispanic origin.Census 2000 adheres to the federalstandards for collecting and pre-senting data on race and Hispanicorigin as established by the Officeof Management and Budget (OMB)in October 1997.The OMB defines Hispanic or Latinoas “a person of Cuban, Mexican,Puerto Rican, South or CentralAmerican, or other Spanish cultureor origin regardless of race.” Indata collection and presentation,federal agencies are required to usea minimum of two ethnicities: “His-panic or Latino” and “Not Hispanicor Latino.”Starting with Census 2000, theOMB requires federal agencies touse a minimum of five race catego-ries:How are the race categories used in Census 2000 defined?“White” refers to people having origins in any of the original peoplesof Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. It includes people whoindicated their race or races as “White” or wrote in entries such asIrish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.“Black or African American” refers to people having origins in any of theBlack racial groups of Africa. It includes people who indicated their raceor races as “Black, African Am., or Negro,” or wrote in entries such asAfrican American, Afro American, Nigerian, or Haitian.“American Indian and Alaska Native” refers to people having origins inany of the original peoples of North and South America (includingCentral America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community at-tachment. It includes people who indicated their race or races by mark-ing this category or writing in their principal or enrolled tribe, such asRosebud Sioux, Chippewa, or Navajo.“Asian” refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples ofthe Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent. It includespeople who indicated their race or races as “Asian Indian,” “Chinese,”“Filipino,” “Korean,” “Japanese,” “Vietnamese,” or “Other Asian,” or wrotein entries such as Burmese, Hmong, Pakistani, or Thai.“Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander” refers to people havingorigins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, orother Pacific Islands. It includes people who indicated their race orraces as “Native Hawaiian,” “Guamanian or Chamorro,” “Samoan,” or“Other Pacific Islander,” or wrote in entries such as Tahitian, MarianaIslander, or Chuukese.“Some other race” was included in Census 2000 for


View Full Document
Download Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin
Our administrator received your request to download this document. We will send you the file to your email shortly.
Loading Unlocking...
Login

Join to view Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or
We will never post anything without your permission.
Don't have an account?
Sign Up

Join to view Overview of Race and Hispanic Origin 2 2 and access 3M+ class-specific study document.

or

By creating an account you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use

Already a member?