More Americans Are Proudly Identifying As Multiracial

• published: 11 Jun 2015
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A new survey from the Pew Research Center highlights numerous findings that show more Americans are openly identifying as mixed-race. Follow Elizabeth Hagedorn: http://www.twitter.com/elizhagedorn See more at http://www.newsy.com Transcript: "My father is full black, and my mother is half black, half white," Mycal told Pew Research Center. "My mother is American Indian, and my father is first-generation American German Jewish," Amy told Pew Research Center. "My father is white, and my mother is Catawba Indian," Roo told Pew Research Center. The Pew Research Center released a comprehensive report showing that multiracial Americans are proud, open and growing in numbers. (Video via Pew Research Center) Sixty percent of the respondents said they were proud of their mixed-race background. Fifty-nine percent said they were more open to other cultures. But the survey also found 55 percent of multiracial Americans said they've been subjected to racial slurs or jokes. Nineteen percent thought their background gave them an advantage, while the majority, 76 percent, said it made no difference. (Video via U.S. Census Bureau) One of the more intriguing findings by Pew was how being multiracial affected young Americans' political partisanship. In total, 52 percent of mixed-race Americans ages 18 to 29 identified as either Independent or something else. As Time notes, the trend suggests U.S. Democrats and Republicans may need to recalibrate their political calculus if they hope to capture the growing caucus of mixed-race Americans. It also creates the space for a potential third party to emerge. The survey, which used answers from more than 1,500 multiracial Americans 18 and older, covered a wide variety of social issues tied to multiracial Americans. To define who was multiracial, Pew asked survey respondents if they would select two races for themselves, their parents or their grandparents. That's a broader definition than the one offered by the U.S. Census Bureau, which only takes into account the person being surveyed — not family members. The U.S. census first started allowing for multiracial answers in 2000. (Video via U.S. Census Bureau) Pew's definition resulted in an estimated 6.9 percent of Americans being multiracial, compared to the Census Bureau's estimate of just 2.1 percent. Sources: Pew Research Center http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2WaNmhvEzo Pew Research Center http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2015/06/11/multiracial-in-america/#the-multiracial-experience Pew Research Center https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpvaYaxA57U U.S. Census Bureau http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1x6R5B-C0uU&index;=1&list;=PLewV-zKXDZkgpN9_JOAZhWdZnSkOth1HO Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/voter-fills-out-her-ballot-at-a-polling-station-for-news-photo/468820014 Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/view-of-the-white-house-before-an-event-on-the-south-lawn-news-photo/76946957 Hillary for America https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6t-9TSBpTA Perry For President https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3pxrrtGKU0 Time http://time.com/3914890/multiracial-politics-polling/ Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-walk-through-new-yorks-chinatown-district-on-july-11-news-photo/452039942 U.S. Census Bureau http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8hB91AQ6Og Getty Images http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/commuters-pass-through-grand-central-terminal-during-news-photo/56454003 Image via: Getty Images / Mario Tama http://www.gettyimages.com