Equity in Data Community of Practice: Your Feedback Can Shape the Census
The Census survey includes a write-in response option under race categories. However, Census Bureau staff classify these responses using a antiquated code list that has been in place since the 1990s.
For example, if someone were to write in "South African" under the “White” major racial category (think Elon Musk), the Census Bureau’s current coding system may classify them as both White and Black or African American. This misalignment highlights the need for an updated approach to racial classification.
To better capture how people racially and ethnicially self-identify, the Census Bureau is seeking feedback on its Race and Ethnicity Coding List.
This is an opportunity for the public to provide input on these coding decisions and help shape how demographic data is collected. The Census Bureau is accepting public feedback on its Race and Ethnicity Code List, with submissions due by February 18th. These changes will directly impact our understanding of community demographics in Connecticut, ensuring the data reflects the state's rich diversity.
For more background on the Race and Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project and the Census Bureau’s request for public input, watch our recent Equity in Data Community of Practice video.
Improving Race and Ethnicity Coding
The Race and Ethnicity Coding Improvement Project is a current initiative by the Census Bureau to update their Race and Ethnicity Code List to align with the new standards for collecting and reporting on race and ethnicity data. This code list affects how people are counted in the Census when the Census Bureau reports on people by race and ethnicity. Ensuring accurate representation in the code list is integral to collecting and publishing accurate data on demographics across the country.
While they are seeking any comments related to the Race and Ethnicity Code List, there are few areas in which they are particularly seeking feedback.
Whether there are any groups missing from their current Race and Ethnicity Code List or if any groups are misclassified.
.Whether there are any alternative or additional terms that should be added.
Whether the removal of regional categories, like East Asian, would cause problems for local data users.
Problems with Current Coding
The 2020 Census forms added write-in spaces under both the "White" and "Black or African American" categories for respondents to provide details about their background. Other categories — Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Some Other Race — already included these write-in areas. Instead of revising the list when they added write-in spaces below both the “White” and “Black or African American” categories, they simply coded responses using their pre-existing code list. Additionally, Hispanic or Latino ethnicity appeared as a separate question in the 2020 Census with its own write-in space, though it wasn't coded as a race category since they were considered separate.
The Race and Ethnicity Code List, as it was implemented previously, led to many Americans being classified as multiracial solely because they wrote in a response that didn’t line up with the race category they selected according to the Census Bureau’s code list, making it appear that there was a large increase in people identifying as multiracial.
For example, comparing Connecticut residents' racial classifications between the 2019 and 2021 ACS 1-year estimates shows the proportion of individuals classified as multiracial tripled (4% to 12%). While noticeable in the general Connecticut population, this shift was most dramatic among Hispanic or Latino residents, where the percentage jumped fivefold (8% to 40%). Even among non-Hispanic/Latino residents, the percentage classified as two or more races doubled between 2019 and 2021.
What You Can Do
To better categorize these write-in responses, the Census Bureau is revising their guidelines for how they code race and ethnicity write-in responses.
The code list has tabs for each racial category with a list of possible write-in terms that are coded within that category. For example, if someone were to write in “Cantonese, Manchurian, or Mandarin,” based on the Race and Ethnicity Code List, their major racial category would be coded as “Asian” while their detailed race ethnicity would fall under “Chinese.”
The list also includes write-in responses that are coded as “some other race or ethnicity” as well as responses that are coded as multiple racial or ethnic categories, such as Afro-Latino.
The Census Bureau is asking for feedback on their coded categories. They are requesting that people look through the Race and Ethnicity Code List to see if there is anything that should be changed or simply doesn’t look right.
If this is something that is important to you and your community, review the Race and Ethnicity Code List and add a public comment. Commenting is simple, and they are not looking only for “data experts” to provide insight.
CTData is planning on submitting our own comment, including:
Improving the coding of responses categorized by the Census Bureau that do not match any race or ethnicity checkboxes selected by the respondent by recommending that the Bureau consider the placement of written responses when determining how to code them.
Requesting greater transparency in response coding. Currently, published data does not indicate which major racial categories were selected by respondents and which were assigned by Census Bureau staff based on write-in responses.
Urging the Census Bureau to research the impact of its coding on racial and ethnic classification and assess how well it aligns with individuals’ self-identification.
For more information on how the Census Bureau Collects and Processes Race and ethnicity data, refer to our blog post on the topic.
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