Census Bureau Defends 2020 Multiracial Population Surge Methodology

Researchers criticize the classification changes, claiming they inflated multiracial counts and misrepresented demographic shifts.

The U.S. Census Bureau attributes the 276% rise in multiracial population from 2010 to 2020 to improved question design and write-in options.
Princeton sociologists argue the increase was primarily due to methodological changes rather than genuine demographic shifts.
Critics claim the 2020 census conflated ancestry with racial identity and national origins with race, leading to misleading results.
Census officials counter that reverting to older methods for comparison would inaccurately reflect the data collected in 2020.
The debate highlights the broader implications of racial classification for political redistricting, civil rights enforcement, and federal funding distribution.