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Disentangling the Effects of Racial Self-identification and Classification by Others: The Case of Arrest

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  • Andrew Penner
  • Aliya Saperstein

Abstract

Scholars of race have stressed the importance of thinking about race as a multidimensional construct, yet research on racial inequality does not routinely take this multidimensionality into account. We draw on data from the U.S. National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to disentangle the effects of self-identifying as black and being classified by others as black on subsequently being arrested. Results reveal that the odds of arrest are nearly three times higher for people who were classified by others as black, even if they did not identify themselves as black. By contrast, we find no effect of self-identifying as black among people who were not seen by others as black. These results suggest that racial perceptions play an important role in racial disparities in arrest rates and provide a useful analytical approach for disentangling the effects of race on other outcomes. Copyright Population Association of America 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Penner & Aliya Saperstein, 2015. "Disentangling the Effects of Racial Self-identification and Classification by Others: The Case of Arrest," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 1017-1024, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:demogr:v:52:y:2015:i:3:p:1017-1024
    DOI: 10.1007/s13524-015-0394-1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Devah Pager, 2003. "The mark of a criminal record," Natural Field Experiments 00319, The Field Experiments Website.
    2. Edward Telles & Nelson Lim, 1998. "Does it matter who answers the race question? Racial classification and income inequality in Brazil," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 35(4), pages 465-474, November.
    3. Wendy D. Roth, 2010. "Racial Mismatch: The Divergence Between Form and Function in Data for Monitoring Racial Discrimination of Hispanics," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(5), pages 1288-1311, December.
    4. David Kirk, 2008. "The neighborhood context of racial and ethnic disparities in arrest," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 45(1), pages 55-77, February.
    5. Stanley R. Bailey & Aliya Saperstein & Andrew Penner, 2014. "Race, color, and income inequality across the Americas," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(24), pages 735-756.
    6. Wendy D. Roth, 2010. "Racial Mismatch: The Divergence Between Form and Function in Data for Monitoring Racial Discrimination of Hispanics," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 91(s1), pages 1288-1311.
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