The U.S. Census Bureau is asking for public feedback about how it should tally responses from people into new race and ethnicity groups.
Earlier this year, the U.S. government changed how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity to more accurately count residents who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.
Before this year, the categories hadn't been changed in 27 years.
Questions about race and ethnicity that previously were asked separately on forms will now be combined into a single question. That will give respondents the option to pick multiple categories at the same time, such as Black, American Indian and Hispanic.
Research has shown that large numbers of Hispanic people aren’t sure how to answer the race question when asked separately because they understand race and ethnicity to be similar. They often pick “some other race” or do not answer the question at all.
A Middle Eastern and North African category also was added. People descended from places such as Lebanon, Iran, Egypt and Syria had been encouraged to identify as white, but now will have the option of identifying themselves in the new group.
The Census Bureau is seeking feedback from the public through mid-February. The agency wants to hear from groups who feel that they are misclassified or if any groups should be added to the list.
READ MORE: US census data shows how Middle Eastern and Hispanic residents differ in racial identity
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