What is race in the modern census?
There are moves afoot to push people to report their race in a certain way to gain a political advantage. Most important, the softly defined Hispanic or Latino race is being used as a tool of those that perceive state and federal money/power flowing if they can prove with the current census that a large enough group of people exist. See:
http://www.truthout.org/are-latinos-white-census-confusion-sparks-debate-over-racial-identity57472
In Louisiana, the center of the controversy depends on the Cajun and Creole people in the state. Some in the state are encouraging these people to register as Hispanic or Latino with the “other” category. The goal would be increased support for traditional languages and culture for people of heritage.
I find myself torn. As a statistician, I hate the idea of preemptively suggesting survey answers for political gains. I understand the desire. Unlike my time as a professor when I can worry about higher ideals, these days my work have (potential) real world consequences for people and populations. Like the Census, my subjects are both more willing to answer my questions while more concerned about the effects for their answers. The Census is such a survey. The results will determine everything from geographic reputations to Congressional allocations. Thus, people SHOULD be worried as to the outcome. Manipulation attempts are the natural result – even if it is morally questionable.
On the other hand, as a statistician, I would like to have the data. Louisiana, my current research area, tends toward a black/white population – other minority groups are too small to have a powerful effect on the population. There also seems to be a nearly clear division between wealth and poverty. With shrinking funds to spend, help for the needy must be more targeted than ever before. While I believe the national researcher may dismiss the Latino Cajun/Creole as an aberration or misunderstanding of the instructions. Personally, I am interested in the fate and needs of this group. For example, “Do Creole people share the challenges of the black population in Louisiana or the relative advantage of the white?” The main danger I see is that a person who might be called African American will be guilted into the “other” category and reduce the accuracy of the useful measure.
Too often, people look for simple answers from statistics. In my previous life as a media researcher, I understood that the largest, most affluent audience is not always the most desirable. It was equally important to match the branding/advertising vehicle to the target population. The same is true in state demographics – especially these days. Descriptors like White, Black, Latino, Hispanic are too dull a tool to guide real results. The Cajun/Creole communities in Louisiana are part of its rich heritage and a serious accounting my help us to understand the needs.
