The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

WHAT CENSUS DATA MISS ABOUT AMERICAN DIVERSITY

The United States Census Bureau’s main purpose is to provide as accurate a representation of the American people as possible—however, doing so is becoming increasingly difficult with an ever-changing society. Current Census Bureau statements regarding the ethno-racial diversity of the nation are faulty, because the data fail to adequately represent the growing diversity within major ethno-racial populations. The research presented in this volume of The ANNALS sheds light on the shortcomings of census data when it comes to identifying these subgroups, as well as the consequences that these omissions could have on political attitudes. 

This volume of The ANNALS addresses common misconceptions about American diversity that stem from issues surrounding race and ethnicity in census data—misconceptions such as the belief in the imminence of a majority-minority society, when in reality there are rising numbers of Americans being raised in mixed majority-minority families. When census-based population projections fail to acknowledge this, information and data presented to the public are misleading.