The next Census you take in 2020 could be missing a familiar question: What’s your race?
Instead, the Census Bureau is considering other ways of finding out more about Americans, Pew Research Center reports.
The form may ask people to select which category they belong to and then give a list of options including White, Asian and Hispanic, Pew reports.
The current questions, which ask about Hispanic origin and race, have been called confusing by many people, with some finding it inadequate to describe themselves.
According to Pew, the primary issue is with how the Census uses the word race and how it differs from the origin.
“I’m very happy that they are going to test a question which gets away from the language of race and ethnicity because frankly that is just a quagmire, that language,” Ann Morning, a New York University race scholar, told Pew. “No two people seem to be able to agree on what those terms mean.”
The Census plans to issue a test form to 1.2 million households this fall where it will include a question asking people to categorize themselves instead of choosing a race.
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