A new report from the Pew Research Center offers a snapshot of the nation’s multiracial population. According to the report, 6.9 percent of all Americans are multiracial. This includes all individuals who have parents or grandparents from different racial groups. In contrast, only 2.1 percent of all people said they were multiracial in the last U.S. Census.
The discrepancy arises due to the Census’ reliance on self-identification rather than an actual analysis of the race of a person’s parents and grandparents. Some individuals who identify themselves as Black on Census forms have one White parent or one White grandparent. And undoubtedly, some individuals who have two White parents, three White grandparents, and one Black grandparent choose to identify themselves as White rather than multiracial.
An interesting finding of the Pew Research Center report is that single-race African Americans and multiracial Americans with one or more Black parents or grandparents report equal levels of racial discrimination and harassment. For instance, 42 percent of single-race Blacks and 41 percent of multiracial individuals with some Black heritage report that they have been unfairly stopped by police.
Here are just a few of the interesting findings included in the Pew Research Center Report:
- By a margin or more than 3 to 1, multiracial adults with both Black and White parents or grandparents say they are closer to their Black relatives than to their White relatives.
- Only slightly more than half of multiracial individuals with some Black heritage have a spouse that is single-race Black. Some 84 percent of single-race Black adults say that their spouse is also single-race Black.
- Only 4 percent of single-race Blacks say they are Republicans. But 15 percent of multiracial individuals with Black and White heritage say they are Republicans.
The report, Multiracial in America: Proud, Diverse and Growing in Numbers, may be downloaded by clicking here.
