Multiracial Identity and Racial Politics in the United States

281 Pages·2017·12.162 MB·English

by  Natalie Masuoka

Multiracial Identity and Racial
Politics in the United States

Multiracial Identity
and Racial Politics in the
United States
Natalie Masuoka
3
3
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CONTENTS
List of Tables and Figures vii
Acknowledgements xi
1 Identity Choice: Changing Practices of Race and
Multiracial Identification 1
2 Exclusive Categories: Historical Formation of Racial
Classification in the United States 20
3 Advocating for Choice: Political Views of Multiracial
Activists 52
4 Declaring Race: Understanding the Opportunities
to Self-I dentify as Multiracial 75
5 Implications of Racial Identity: Comparing
Monoracial and Multiracial Political Attitudes 112
6 In the Eye of the Beholder: American Perceptions of
Obama’s Race 143
Conclusion. Multiracial and Beyond: Racial
Formation in the Twenty- First Century 169
Appendices 187
Notes 213
References 231
Index 249

TABLES AND FIGURES
Tables
4.1 Relationship between the Parental Ancestry and
Self as Mixed Race Measures 84
4.2 Differentiating Three Forms of Racial Identity 88
4.3 Relationship between the Parental Ancestry and
Self as Mixed Race Measures, Disaggregated by Race 92
4.4 Relationship between the Mark One or More and
Self as Mixed Race Measures 95
4.5 Reporting as Multiracial (Rather Than Monoracial) among Those Who
Acknowledge Being Mixed Race 97
4.6 Acknowledging Being Mixed Race but Reporting
Being Monoracial 99
5.1 Mean Scores on Perception of Racial Discrimination: Comparing
Multiracial and Monoracial Groups 125
5.2 Mean Scores on Public Policy Items: Comparing Multiracial and
Monoracial Groups 127
5.3 Summary Table of Results: Comparing Multiracial and
Monoracial Groups 128
5.4 Mean Scores on Discrimination Items: Comparisons across
Racial Background 131
5.5 Mean Scores on Politics and Policy Items: Comparisons across Racial
Background 133
5.6 Summary Table of Results: Does Race Matter? 135
6.1 Perceptions of Obama’s Race in 2012 151
6.2 Mean Scores on Evaluations of President in 2009 160
6.3 Mean Scores on Evaluations of the President, Taking into Account
Party Identification in 2009 162
6.4 Mean Scores on Evaluations of President by Race of Respondent and
Perceptions of Obama’s Race in 2012 163
A.1 Characteristics of Interview Subjects 187
B.1 Sample Demographics 195
B.2 Responses to Follow- Up Question to Mixed- Race
Background Question 196
B.3 Cross Tabulation of Parental Ancestry Questions
by Parents’ Race 196
C.1 Sample Demographics 199
D.1 Sample Demographics 202
D.2 Factors Predicting Perceptions of Obama’s Race, 2009 Pew 203
D.3 Evaluation of President by Perceptions of Obama’s Race and
Partisanship, White and Latino Respondents Only, 2009 206
E.1 Sample Demographics 209
E.2 Factors Predicting Perceptions of Obama’s Race as Black,
EGSS 2012 210
E.3 Evaluation of President by Perceptions of Obama’s Race and
Partisanship, White and Latino Respondents Only, 2012 211
Figures
4.1 Racial Combinations of the Two- or- More- Races Population,
Census 2012 103
4.2 Share of Each Racial/ Ethnic Group That Declared Itself to Be
of Two or More Races, Census 2012 104
4.3 Comparing Educational Attainment across Monoracial and Selected
Multiple- Race Groups 107
4.4 Comparing Median Family Income across Monoracial
and Selected Multiple- Race Groups 108
5.1 Conceptual Placement of Monoracial Groups on
Attitudinal Scale 122
5.2 Racial Resentment Scores for Multiracial and
Monoracial Groups 124
5.3 Party Identification of Multiracial and Monoracial Groups 126
5.4 Perception of “a Lot” of Discrimination against Multiracial
Individuals: Comparisons by Racial Background 138
viii | Tables and Figures
5.5 Perception That Multiracial Children Face More Problems Than Single-
Race Children: Attitudes by Racial Background 139
6.1 Perceptions of Obama’s Race in 2009 150
6.2 Asian American Perceptions of Obama’s Race in 2012 152
6.3 White Respondents’ Mean Thermometer Ratings
of Obama in 2012 164
6.4 White Respondents’ Belief That Obama is Muslim in 2012 165
Tables and Figures | ix