Wednesday, April 02, 2014

Hispanic is Not a Race

Hispanic is an ethnic origin and not a race. Demographers have been trying to explain that one for decades. No one struggles with the distinction between race and ethnicity more than Hispanics themselves, as revealed by a recent Census Bureau working paper.

Among the nation's 50 million Hispanics in 2010, fully 41 percent identified themselves as "some other race" on the census race question or did not respond to the race question at all. To solve this glaring problem, the Census Bureau is considering combining the race and ethnic origin questions on the 2020 census. For more, see Race Reporting Among Hispanics: 2010.

2 comments:

Roger Owen Green said...

But you know that Hispanics often pick Hispanic, or Latino, or OTHER when choosing race.

Cheryl Russell said...

Yes, Hispanics often write in "Hispanic" or "Latino," or "other" on the race question, which is why the Census Bureau is considering changing the way the census asks about race and Hispanic origin. Most "other" race Americans are in fact Hispanics who are unable to find "Hispanic" listed as a race.