APPENDIX A. How the Poverty Tracker identifies respondents’ race and ethnicity
Throughout this report, we discuss race and ethnicity in the context of socioeconomic disparities among New Yorkers. We identify the race and ethnicity of adults in the Poverty Tracker sample using questions asked by the U.S. Census Bureau on various population-level surveys. 30 These questions allow us to better understand the needs of communities within New York City and to ensure that we are surveying a represen- tative sample of New York City’s racial and ethnic groups. The questions read: Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
1. Yes 2. No What is your race? Are you… 1. White 2. Black or African American 3. Asian
4. American Indian or Alaska Native 5. Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 6. Or something else We combine responses to these questions into the following racial and ethnic groups:
1. Asian, non-Latino 2. Black, non- Latino 3. Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin 31 4. Multiracial or another race or ethnicity, non-Hispanic 5. White, non-Latino
In this report we refer to New Yorkers who identified as Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin as Latino New Yorkers, and to Black non-Latino and white non-Latino New Yorkers as Black and white New Yorkers, respectively. “New Yorkers” refers to adults in New York City. There are limitations to this methodology. This type of classification is one dimensional while one’s identity is often much more robust and intersectional. In addition, our results present averages for groups of people, but averages do not reflect the experiences of all individuals. One’s personal experiences may diverge significantly from the results we present. And while our questions are relatively specific, each person might interpret them differently, resulting in subjective answers. Our examination of poverty, hardship, and disadvantage in the context of race and ethnicity is intended to help explain how disparities across groups take shape economically, financially, and with re- gards to health in New York City. 30 Historically, the Census asks race and origin questions to gain an understanding of the makeup of the population and to help construct civil rights protections for all. These questions have helped to reveal gaps within various social policies and to address the economic, educational, and infrastructural needs of different communities. See Brumfield, Goldvale, and Brown, “Race & Origin Questions.” 31 With these groupings, New Yorkers who indicate that they are of “Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin” are grouped together, regardless of their response to the question about their race. The majority of New Yorkers who identify as Hispanic, Latino, or of Spanish origin (62%) do not identify with a particular racial group (i.e., they respond “something else” when asked about their race). Roughly 25% identify as white and 13% identify as Black.
44 THE STATE OF POVERTY AND DISADVANTAGE IN NEW YORK CITY VOL. 6
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