What Race Am I? The Need for Standardization in Race Question Wording

Abstract

The goal of the current research was to compare differences in the wording and options of race and ethnic identification items currently in use on employment application forms. Researchers presented subjects with the differentially worded ethnic and race items from two companies and the U.S. Census in an effort to determine if such wording differences would result in different racial classifications. Shifts in racial identification were most notable when race and Hispanic descent were ascertained with two separate questions rather than one question.