The “Multiracial” Option: Social Group Identity and Changing Patterns of Racial Categorization

Abstract

This article focuses on a new and growing trend in the United States: multiracial (or mixed race) identification. Multiracial self-identification forces us to consider that the norms of racial identification are shifting in which Americans perceive greater individual agency in how they choose to racially identify compared to the choices offered in the past. Given this, is the willingness to identify as multiracial a proxy for changing political attitudes about American race relations? Using a unique data set that includes multiple measures of racial identification, this article examines the individuallevel determinants that predict who is willing to self-identify as multiracial and the political consequences of this identity. This research demonstrates the complexity of racial identification today as well as the need to reconsider how race is measured in public opinion surveys. Most importantly, the data demonstrate that those who self-identify as multiracial hold different racial attitudes than those who do not.

Multiracial Americans: Racial Identity Choices and Implications for the Collection of Race Data

“…Studies also show a relationship between socioeconomic status and multiracial identity. Fhagen‐Smith (2010) argues that the middle and upper‐middle classes are socialized to expect and demand choices in identity, and recent studies reveal that higher education and affluence is correlated with multiracial identities (Masuoka 2011; Morning 2000; Roth 2005) and, for black‐white multiracials, a rejection of traditional social classification norms (e.g. one‐drop rule) (Roth 2005).…”

“…Different regions, for instance, have different percentages and combinations of multiracial people (Jones and Smith 2001; Morning 2000) and some scholars theorize that some regions may be more inviting than others with regard to identifying as multiracial (Masuoka 2011). This may explain why states such as Hawaii and California have such high percentages of self‐identified multiracial people (Farley 2003; Tafoya 2003) – not only are there high numbers of people with multiracial ancestry in these states, but there may also be more multiracial people with whom to interact and provide validation for one’s multiracial identity.…”

“…1993; Kilson 2001; Khanna 2011; Korgen 1998; Lee and Bean 2007; Miville et al. 2005; Renn 2000; Rockquemore and Brunsma 2002a, 2008; Root 1998; Twine 1996); focus groups (Renn 2000); convenience‐sampled surveys (e.g., DeBose and Winters 2003; Khanna 2004; Suzuki‐Crumly and Hyers 2004); regional surveys (e.g., Herman 2004; Rockquemore and Brunsma 2002a, 2008; Song and Hashem 2010); and large‐scale national surveys (e.g., Brunsma 2005; Campbell 2007; Masuoka 2011; O’Hare 1999) – including a nationally representative health survey (e.g., Bratter and Heard 2009; Brown, Hitlin, and Elder 2006; Harris 2002; Cheng and Lively 2009; Doyle and Kao 2007; Harris and Sim 2002; Hitlin, Brown, and Elder 2006; Oware 2008; Parker and Madans 2002) and U.S. Census data (e.g., Bratter 2007; Holloway et al. 2009; Kana’iaupuni and Liebler 2005; Lee and Bean 2007; Morning 2000; Qian 2004; Roth 2005; Saenz, Hwang, and Anderson 1995; Tafoya, Johnson, and Hill 2005; Xie and Goyette 1997).…”

Toward Conceptualizing Race and Racial Identity Development Within an Attractor Landscape

“…For a system to be considered as a complex adaptive system, adaptation must occur based on individuals or types (Page, 2011). Race is adaptive as perceptions of self and what it means to be in a racial category change over time and space (Masuoka, 2011;Omi & Winant, 2015;Wong, 2002;Zhou, 2004).…”

Taking a New Perspective to Latino Racial Attitudes

“…Measuring Latinos' self-reported skin tone can provide more insight than a report of one's actual skin tone. For instance, asking individuals to state their skin tone provides them an opportunity to reflect on their skin tone, thereby allowing them to illustrate a type of attitude they may have about skin tone (see Hoschchild & Weaver, 2007; also see Masuoka, 2011) and reveal how they perceive their life chances and social positions. Furthermore, Latinos' self-perception of skin tone can significantly impact how they view others, given that the ways in which individuals perceive themselves influence their understanding of shared characteristics and/ or circumstances with others.…”