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Multiracial Identification and Racial Gaps: A Work in Progress

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  • Jenifer L. Bratter

Abstract

For nearly 20 years, the U.S. Census has allowed respondents to report multiple races, offering new opportunities to assess the well-being of multiracial groups. Multiple-race reporting provides much-needed nuance for assessing the racial stratification of social outcomes as the distinctions between racial groups is less clear. Here, I explore the promises and the pitfalls of working with multiple-race data in studies of race inequality. I begin with a discussion of prior work using multiple-race data, showing how they inform our understanding of race-based patterns, and also consider issues raised by the conceptual and methodological fuzziness inherent in using multiple-race responses. I then provide a brief picture of current racial differences in adult poverty rates for single- and multiple-race groups, revealing that some multiracial groups experience parity with single-race groups while others occupy a space in between. While these patterns are meaningful, multiple interpretations are possible given the nature of multiple-race data.

Suggested Citation

  • Jenifer L. Bratter, 2018. "Multiracial Identification and Racial Gaps: A Work in Progress," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 677(1), pages 69-80, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:anname:v:677:y:2018:i:1:p:69-80
    DOI: 10.1177/0002716218758622
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Brian Duncan & Stephen J. Trejo, 2011. "Intermarriage and the Intergenerational Transmission of Ethnic Identity and Human Capital for Mexican Americans," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 29(2), pages 195-227.
    2. Zhenchao Qian, 2004. "Options: Racial/Ethnic Identification of Children of Intermarried Couples," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 85(3), pages 746-766, September.
    3. Daniel Lichter, 2013. "Integration or Fragmentation? Racial Diversity and the American Future," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 50(2), pages 359-391, April.
    4. Carolyn A. Liebler & Sonya R. Porter & Leticia E. Fernandez & James M. Noon & Sharon R. Ennis, 2017. "America’s Churning Races: Race and Ethnicity Response Changes Between Census 2000 and the 2010 Census," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 54(1), pages 259-284, February.
    5. Jenifer Bratter & Bridget Gorman, 2011. "Does Multiracial Matter? A Study of Racial Disparities in Self-Rated Health," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 48(1), pages 127-152, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Hans Oh & Jinyu Du & Lee Smith & Ai Koyanagi, 2023. "Mental health differences between multiracial and monoracial college students in the United States: Emerging racial disparities," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 69(3), pages 744-751, May.

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