Racial & Ethnic Identity

We invited journalists, scholars and civic leaders to share their views.

The Pew Hispanic Center's recent report finding that most Hispanics don't embrace the terms "Hispanic" or "Latino" drew comments from hundreds of people and was the subject of scores of newspaper and website articles. The Center has invited journalists, scholars and civic leaders to weigh in with commentaries, and the public to share their views on Facebook.

A new Pew Hispanic Center survey includes findings on how U.S. Latinos prefer to describe themselves, as well as their views on race, shared culture, language use, the immigrant experience and other topics. A central finding is that slightly more than half prefer to describe themselves by their family's country of origin, while only a minority use the words "Hispanic" or "Latino."

A majority of Hispanics say they most often identify themselves by their family’s country of origin; just 24% say they prefer a pan-ethnic label.

Over the past seven decades, America’s pollsters have used “colored,” “Negro,” “African American,” “Afro-American” and “black” in questions in national surveys.

The topic of racial identification on census forms has a long, fascinating history, which has generated fresh debate as the 2010 Census begins.

A Pew Hispanic Center report based on a new nationwide survey of Latino youths and on analyses of government data examines the values, attitudes, experiences and self-identity of this generation as it comes of age in America.

Most Latino immigrants maintain some kind of connection to their native country by sending remittances, traveling back or telephoning relatives, but the extent to which they engage in these transnational activities varies considerably.

The places Latinos live, the jobs they hold, the schooling they complete, the languages they speak, even their attitudes on key political and social issues, are all in flux.