Latinos fear impact of Census changes

Latinos are concerned that the U.S. Census Bureau may modify the way it asks questions about Hispanic ethnicity that would dilute Latino population count and voting power.

In addition, other ethnic groups among the U.S.’s diverse populace are anticipating how possible changes to the 2020 Census survey could play out among their cultures.

The federal agency is considering many options to the next decennial census in an effort to improve the responses of ethnic groups and more accurately classify Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, and multiracial populations.

Some options being studied are eliminating the “Hispanic origin” survey question and combining it with the race questions, a change that doesn’t sit well with some Latinos.

The wording in the 2010 Census question asked people if they were of Latino origin, then provided a space to fill in their race. That method resulted in a strong response and a record count of more than 50 million Latinos. This increase moved them past African-Americans as our country’s largest minority group.

Angelo Falcon, director of the National Institute for Latino Policy, says eliminating or changing or the Hispanic origin question could confuse Latinos enough that they might not mark their ethnicity. That would shrink the overall Hispanic count.

A reduced population count could hurt Latinos because race data gathered in the census survey is used for enforcement of civil rights laws and detecting racial disparities in health, education, and other areas.

The Census information also is used to redraw state legislative and congressional districts, adding congressional seats, and re-mapping school districts. The high Latino growth in eight states gave them additional seats in Congress.

“A lot of Latino researchers like the question the way it is now because it shows those differences,” Falcon says. “The way the Census Bureau is thinking about combining the questions, it might take away that information in terms of how we fit within the American racial hierarchy.”

Falcon co-chairs a coalition of about 30 Latino civil-rights advocacy organizations that recently met with the Census Bureau to discuss the potential changes.

In addition, the Census is considering new questions for people of Middle Eastern or North African heritage, and spaces for Asians to list their native country.

Karen Humes, assistant division chief for Special Population Statistics of the Census Bureau, says it’s “very premature” right now to know how the 2020 census questions might change.