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Questionnaire Effects on Measurements of Race and Hispanic Origin

Written by:
RSM2006-12

Introduction

As anthropologists have known for many years, racial classifications in popular use are based, not on a single principle, but rather on a mixture of attributes, including national origin, tribal membership, religion, language, minority status, wealth, and physical characteristics (see, e.g., Harris, 1968). Proof of this conclusion is readily available from the world's population censuses. Cursory review of a nonrandom sampling of recent censuses in 45 countries demonstrates the variety of classifications of race and related constructs which are the basis of official statistics in different countries.

Page Last Revised - October 8, 2021
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