Society and Culture > Race & Ethnicity > Issues of Diversity

Preference for Racial or Ethnic Terminology

Preferred term¹	Percent
Hispanic
Hispanic	57.88%
Of Spanish origin	12.34
Latino	11.74
Some other term	7.85
No preference	10.18
White
White	61.66%
Caucasian	16.53
European American	2.35
Some other term	1.97
Anglo	.96
No preference	16.53

Black
Black	44.15%
African American	28.07
Afro-American	12.12
Negro	3.28
Some other term	2.19
Colored	1.09
No preference	9.11
American Indian
American Indian	49.76%
Native American	37.35
Some other term	3.66
Alaska Native	3.51
No preference	5.72

NOTE: 2000 census data were not available at press time.

1. People who identified themselves as white, black, Hispanic, American Indian /Alaska Native, or multiracial were given a list of terms describing their respective racial or ethnic group and were asked to choose which term they preferred, or whether they preferred a term not stated, or had no preference.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau Survey, May 1995. www.census.gov/prod/2/gen/96arc/ivatuck.pdf.

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