Measuring Race and Ancestry in the Age of Genetic Testing

Demography. 2021 Jun 1;58(3):785-810. doi: 10.1215/00703370-9142013.

Abstract

Will the rise of genetic ancestry tests (GATs) change how Americans respond to questions about race and ancestry on censuses and surveys? To provide an answer, we draw on a unique study of more than 100,000 U.S. adults that inquired about respondents' race, ancestry, and genealogical knowledge. We find that people in our sample who have taken a GAT, compared with those who have not, are more likely to self-identify as multiracial and are particularly likely to select three or more races. This difference in multiple-race reporting stems from three factors: (1) people who identify as multiracial are more likely to take GATs; (2) GAT takers are more likely to report multiple regions of ancestral origin; and (3) GAT takers more frequently translate reported ancestral diversity into multiracial self-identification. Our results imply that Americans will select three or more races at higher rates in future demographic data collection, with marked increases in multiple-race reporting among middle-aged adults. We also present experimental evidence that asking questions about ancestry before racial identification moderates some of these GAT-linked reporting differences. Demographers should consider how the meaning of U.S. race data may be changing as more Americans are exposed to information from GATs.

Keywords: Genealogy; Genetics; Racial classification; Survey design.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Censuses
  • Genetic Testing
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Racial Groups* / genetics
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States
  • White People* / genetics
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