KERA: Many Hispanics And Latinos Don't Identify With Census Racial Categories

GILBERT, Ariz. - April 10, 2023 - PRLog -- By: Stella M. Chávez | KERA

A growing number of people who identify as Latino or Hispanic identify as multiracial. That's according to 2020 Census data.

KERA reporter Stella Chavez talked with Host Justin Martin about the Census findings. Here's what she found:

What The Census Data Shows

57.8% of Hispanic or Latino respondents reported one race in the 2020 Census compared to more than 81% who did so in 2010.

18.6 million people reported two or more races, up from 2.6 million people in 2010.

43.6% of Hispanics either did not respond to the race question or selected "Some Other Race" and wrote in something else.

What This Means

Not all Hispanic or Latinos identify with the racial categories assigned by the federal government.

If this trend leads to a different distribution of race and ethnicity across the nation, it could have political or socio-economic implications in the future, but it's not clear that will happen.

Why It Matters

Just as Latinos are not a monolith politically, they also don't agree on how they identify themselves.

Krogstad explained Latino or Hispanic identity isn't static.

"Hispanic identity may change in coming years as big societal changes, like rising intermarriage rates produce an increasingly diverse and multiracial population in America," he said. "And the dynamic nature of Latino identity in this country isn't new. What it meant to be Latino 20 or 30 years ago is different from what it means to be Latino today, and two decades from now, Latino identity will have likely evolved again."

http://youtu.be/oyCfwPDp7ro



"Hispanic or Latino identity is much more than just, you know, DNA. [For example] If you're half or more of something, then you're this," he said. "It can have to do as much with culture and language as it can do with who your parents are.

https://open.spotify.com/track/6vXl1tldiZdLa9Rp8XauXL

https://fortworthreport.org/2023/04/06/kera-many-hispanics-and-latinos-dont-identify-with-census-racial-categories/