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Race, as defined by the United States Census Bureau and the Federal Office of Management and Budget, is a self-identification data item in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify.* The categories represent a social-political construct designed for the race or races they considered themselves to be and "generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country".[Ikeda, Dave. IM Diversity. What's an Asian American Now Anyway? 2006. October 26, 2006. *] The racial terms used on the 2000 US Census reflect the most preferred terms used for the group of people they include by majority consensus[Tucker, Clyde and Kojetin, Bryan and Harrison Rodderick. A Statistical Analysis of the CPS Supplement on Race and Ethnic Origin. 1995. August 14, 2006..] Race and ethnicity were considered separate and distinct identities, with Hispanic origin asked as a separate question.
Race was asked differently in the Census 2000 in several ways than previously. Most significantly, respondents were given the option of selecting one or more race categories to indicate their racial identities. Data shows that nearly seven million Americans identified themselves as members of two or more races. Because of these changes, the Census 2000 data on race are not directly comparable with data from the 1990 census or earlier censuses. Caution must be used when interpreting changes in the racial composition of the U.S. population over time.
The following definitions apply to the 2000 census only.
"The term White refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa." It includes people who indicate their race as "White" or report entries such as Irish, German, Italian, Lebanese, Near Easterner, Arab, or Polish.[U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census of Population, Public Law 94-171 Redistricting Data File.Race Retrieved September 18, 2006]
"The term Black or African American refers to people having origins in any of the Black racial groups of Africa." It includes people who indicate their race as "Black, African Am., or Negro," or provide written entries such as African American, Afro American, Kenyan, Jamaican, Caribbean-American, Nigerian, or Haitian.
"American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) refer to people having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America), and who maintain tribal affiliation or community attachment."
"Asian refers to people having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. It includes "Asian Indian," "Chinese", "Filipino", "Korean", "Japanese", "Vietnamese", and "Other Asian".
Some other races includes all other responses not included in the "White", "Black or African American", "American Indian and Alaska Native", "Asian" and "Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander" race categories described above. Respondents providing write-in entries such as multiracial, mixed, interracial, Wesort, or a '''Hispanic'''/'''Latino''' group (for example, Mexican, Puerto Rican, or Cuban) in the "Some other race" category are included here.
Two or more races refers to multiracial people. People may have chosen to provide two or more races either by checking two or more race response check boxes, by providing multiple write-in responses, or by some combination of check boxes and write-in responses.
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Comparability
The Census Bureau warns that data on race in Census 2000 are not directly comparable to those collected in previous censuses.[OMB Directive 15Federal Register Notice October 30, 1997 Retrieved on September 18, 2006] in 1997. In 2001, the National Institute of Health in 2001 adopted the new language to comply with Directive 15.[National Institute of Health AMENDMENT: NIH POLICY AND GUIDELINES ON THE INCLUSION OF WOMEN AND MINORITIES AS SUBJECTS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH - OCTOBER, 2001 Retrieved on September 18, 2006]
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See also
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