Current:Home > ScamsQuestions about sexual orientation and gender ID on track to be on US Census Bureau survey by 2027 -AssetPath
Questions about sexual orientation and gender ID on track to be on US Census Bureau survey by 2027
View
Date:2025-04-15 23:18:11
Questions about sexual orientation, gender identity and changes to queries about race and ethnicity are on track to be asked in the most comprehensive survey of American life by 2027, U.S. Census Bureau officials said Thursday.
The new or revised questions on the American Community Survey will show up on questionnaires and be asked by survey takers in as early as three years, with the data from those questions available the following year, officials told an advisory committee.
The American Community Survey is the most comprehensive survey of American life, covering commuting times, internet access, family life, income, education levels, disabilities and military service, among many other topics, with a sample size of more than 3.5 million households.
Some of the revised questions are the result of changes the federal government announced earlier this year about how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. The changes were the first in 27 years and were aimed at better counting people who identify as Hispanic and of Middle Eastern and North African heritage.
Under the revisions, questions about race and ethnicity that previously were asked separately will be combined into a single question. That will give respondents the option to pick multiple categories at the same time, such as “Black,” “American Indian” and “Hispanic.” A Middle Eastern and North African category also will be added to the choices.
Questions in English and Spanish about sexual orientation and gender identity started being tested in August with trial questionnaires sent out to several hundred-thousand households. Testing for in-person interviews will start next spring.
The testing seeks to study the impact of question wording, what kind of answer options should be given and how respondents answer questions about other members of their household in what is known as “proxy responses.” The questions only will be asked about people who are age 15 or older.
On the sexual orientation test question, respondents can provide a write-in response if they don’t see themselves in the gay or lesbian, straight or bisexual options. The gender identity test question has two steps, with the first asking if they were born male or female at birth and the second asking about their current gender. Among the possible responses are male, female, transgender, nonbinary and a write-in option for those who don’t see themselves in the other responses.
In some test questionnaires, respondents are being given the option of picking multiple responses but in others they can only mark one.
The trial questionnaire also is testing “degenderizing” questions about relationships in a household by changing options like “biological son or daughter” to “biological child.”
___
Follow Mike Schneider on the social platform X: @MikeSchneiderAP.
veryGood! (38)
Related
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- Arizona remains at No. 1 in the USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- Will Levis rallies Titans for 2 late TDs, 28-27 win over Dolphins
- Denver man sentenced to 40 years in beating death of 9-month-old girl
- From family road trips to travel woes: Americans are navigating skyrocketing holiday costs
- Three people die in a crash that authorities discovered while investigating a stolen vehicle
- Jennifer Aniston Says Sex Scene With Jon Hamm Was Awkward Enough Without This
- AP PHOTOS: At UN climate talks in Dubai, moments between the meetings
- Alex Murdaugh’s murder appeal cites biased clerk and prejudicial evidence
- Vanessa Hudgens Had a High School Musical Reunion at Her Wedding
Ranking
- 'We're reborn!' Gazans express joy at returning home to north
- Ciara Gives Birth, Welcomes Baby With Husband Russell
- Horoscopes Today, December 11, 2023
- Texas prosecutors drop murder charges against 2 of 3 people in fatal stabbing of Seattle woman
- Meta donates $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund
- Grinch-themed photo shoots could land you in legal trouble, photographers say: What we know
- Police responding to burglary kill a man authorities say was armed with knife
- Los Angeles Lakers to hang 'unique' NBA In-Season Tournament championship banner
Recommendation
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Myanmar’s military government says China brokered peace talks to de-escalate fighting in northeast
2 winning Mega Millions jackpot tickets sold at same California gas station
2 high school students in Georgia suffered chemical burns, hospitalized in lab accident
Can Bill Belichick turn North Carolina into a winner? At 72, he's chasing one last high
Judge closes Flint water case against former Michigan governor
Man imprisoned as teen for flower shop killing is released after judge throws out his conviction
2 high school students in Georgia suffered chemical burns, hospitalized in lab accident
Like
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Elon Musk Makes Rare Appearance With His and Grimes’ Son X Æ A-Xii
- Vivek Ramaswamy Called ‘the Climate Change Agenda’ a Hoax in Alabama’s First-Ever Presidential Debate. What Did University of Alabama Students Think?