This week, the Colorado Children’s Campaign submitted public comments in support of the Office of Management and Budget’s Initial Proposals for Updated Race and Ethnicity Statistical Standards. The proposed updates make significant improvements to how the federal government collects information on race and ethnicity.
The changes include, but are not limited to:
Collecting information about race and ethnicity in a single question that includes detailed categories;
Adding Hispanic/Latino as an option for a respondent’s race;
Adding “Middle Eastern or North African (MENA)” as a new response category; and
Removing outdated language from federal data policy.
These changes will modernize how the federal government collects data on race and ethnicity, giving us a better picture of America’s diversity. They will also enable more Americans to see themselves reflected in the categories on surveys and forms, including on the 2030 U.S. Census.
