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Written by: Rachel Marks, Chief, Racial Statistics Branch, Population Division; Nicholas Jones, Director/Senior Advisor for Race/Ethnicity Research & Outreach, Population Division; and Karen Battle, Division Chief, Population Division
On March 28, 2024, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of its review of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) and issued updated standards for maintaining, collecting and presenting race/ethnicity data across federal agencies.
Among the biggest updates: directives to use a combined race/ethnicity question; the addition of a new ?Middle Eastern and North African? minimum reporting category; and a requirement to collect detailed race/ethnicity responses.
Our findings over the past decade resonate with many of the SPD 15 updates. Based on our extensive research and engagement with myriad communities, organizations, scholars, researchers and data users across the country, we know a combined race/ethnicity question with a dedicated Middle Eastern or North African response category and an emphasis on the collection of detailed identities for all communities will produce more accurate race/ethnicity data for our nation?s population.
Written by: Robert L. Santos, Director, U.S. Census Bureau
On March 28, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) published the results of its review of Statistical Policy Directive No. 15 (SPD 15) and issued updated standards for collecting and reporting race and ethnicity data across federal agencies, including the U.S. Census Bureau. These standards were last revised over a quarter century ago.? Given the evolution of our nation over the past two decades, this announcement is well received.
Professionally, these updated standards will improve data on race/ethnicity to better reflect the growing, beautiful diversity of our nation and its people. Personally, I am thankful that I and more Americans than ever will be able to self-identify using a single question that respectfully presents race/ethnicity categories co-equally. And checking all that apply allows respondents to report our rich identities in full. Yes, I?m looking forward to answering the new combined race/ethnicity question in the 2030 Census, the American Community Survey and other social and demographic surveys conducted by the Census Bureau.
The publication of these updated standards powerfully impacts our collective understanding of the future racial/ethnic demographics of our nation, providing us with a more nuanced and dynamic understanding of our population?s complex and rich diversity of communities and identities. I encourage you to review the updated standards ? and think about how you can portray your whole self when answering future race/ethnicity questions in our surveys and censuses.
The Census Bureau has now begun reviewing the updated SPD 15. As we develop plans to implement it in our censuses and surveys, we will keep you ? the public ? informed with regular updates. We look forward to engaging with communities and organizations around the nation to discuss how we will be collecting and tabulating future race/ethnicity data to ensure the resulting statistics yield meaningful and useful information for the public, researchers, programs and policies across many spectrums. Continue reading...
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