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PEW Research
Race Is Central to Identity for White Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other
How we did this
Terminology
No matter where they are from, who they are, their economic circumstances or educational backgrounds, significant majorities of White Americans say being White is extremely or very important to how they think about themselves, with about three-quarters (76%) overall saying so.
A significant share of White Americans also say that when something happens to White people in their local communities, across the nation or around the globe, it affects what happens in their own lives, highlighting a sense of connectedness. White Americans say this even as they have diverse experiences and come from an array of backgrounds.
Even so, White adults who say being White is important to their sense of self are more likely than other White adults to feel connected to other groups of White people. They are also more likely to feel that what happens to White people inside and outside the United States affects what happens in their own lives. These findings emerge from an extensive new survey of White U.S. adults conducted by Pew Research Center.
A majority of non-Hispanic White Americans (78%) say being White is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. This racial group is the largest among White adults, accounting for 87% of the adult population, according to 2019 Census Bureau estimates. But among other White Americans, roughly six-in-ten multiracial (57%) and Hispanic (58%) White adults say this.
White Americans also differ in key ways in their views about the importance of being White to personal identity. While majorities of all age groups of White people say being White shapes how they think about themselves, younger White Americans are less likely to say this – White adults ages 50 and older are more likely than White adults ages 18 to 29 to say that being White is very or extremely important to how they think of themselves. Specifically, 76% of White adults ages 30 to 49, 80% of those 50 to 64 and 83% of those 65 and older hold this view, while only 63% of those under 30 do.
White adults who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than those who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party to say being White is important to how they see themselves – 86% vs. 58%. And White women (80%) are more likely than White men (72%) to say being White is important to how they see themselves.
Still, some subgroups of White Americans are about as likely as others to say that being White is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. For example, U.S.-born and immigrant White adults are about as likely to say being White is important to how they see their identity. However, not all White Americans feel the same about the importance of being White to their identity – 14% say it is only somewhat important to how they see themselves while 9% say it has little or no impact on their personal identity, reflecting the diversity of views about identity among White Americans.
Beyond the personal importance of Whiteness – that is, the importance of being White to personal identity – many White Americans feel connected to each other. About five-in-ten (52%) say everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States affect what happens in their own lives, with another 30% saying some things that happen nationally to White people have a personal impact. And 43% say all or most things that happen to White people in their local community affect what happens in their own lives, while another 35% say only some things in their lives are affected by these events. About four-in-ten White adults in the U.S. (41%) say they feel their fates are strongly linked to White people around the world, with 36% indicating that some things that happen to White people around the world affect what happens in their own lives.
The survey also asked respondents how much they have in common with different groups of White Americans. Some 17% of White adults say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are immigrants. But this sense of commonality differs sharply by nativity: 14% of U.S.-born White adults say they have everything or most things in common with White immigrants, while 43% of White immigrants say the same. Conversely, only about one-in-four White immigrants (26%) say they have everything or most things in common with U.S.-born White people, a share that rises to 56% among U.S.-born White people themselves.
About one-third of White Americans (34%) say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor, though smaller shares say the same about White people who are wealthy (12%). Relatively few White Americans (14%) say they have everything or most things in common with White people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). However, a larger share of White Americans (25%) say they have at least some things in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ. All these findings highlight the diversity of the U.S. White population and how much White people feel connected to each other.
These are among the key findings from a recent Pew Research Center survey of 3,912 White Americans conducted online Oct. 4-17, 2021. This report is the latest in a series of Pew Research Center studies focused on describing the rich diversity of White people in the United States.
The nation’s White population stood at 47 million in 2020, making up 14% of the U.S. population – up from 13% in 2000. While the vast majority of White Americans say their racial background is White alone (88% in 2020), growing numbers are also multiracial or Hispanic. Most were born in the U.S. and trace their roots back several generations in the country, but a growing share are immigrants (12%) or the U.S.-born children of immigrant parents (9%). Geographically, while 56% of White Americans live in the nation’s South, the national White population has also dispersed widely across the country.
It is this diversity – among U.S.-born White people and White immigrants; between White people who live in different regions; and across different ethnicities, party affiliations, ages and income levels – that this report explores. The survey also provides a robust opportunity to examine the importance of race to White Americans’ sense of self and their connections to other White people.
They are also more likely to say that they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor (37% vs. 23%) and White immigrants (19% vs. 9%). Even so, fewer than half of White Americans, no matter how important Whiteness is to their personal identity, say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor, immigrants or LGBTQ.
Nearly six-in-ten White adults (57%) say their ancestors were enslaved either in the U.S. or another country, with nearly all who say so (52% of the White adults surveyed) saying it was in the U.S., either in whole or in part. White adults who say that being White is a very or extremely important part of how they see themselves (61%) are more likely than those for whom being White is less important (45%) to say that their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (31%) are less likely than their counterparts (42%) to say that they are not sure if their ancestors were enslaved at all.
When it comes to learning more about their family histories, White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (81%) are more likely than those for whom Whiteness is less important (59%) to have spoken to their relatives. They are about as likely to have researched their family’s history online (36% and 30%, respectively) and to have used a mail-in DNA service such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe (15% and 16%) to learn more about their ancestry.
The importance of Whiteness also figures prominently into how informed White Americans feel about U.S. White history. White adults who say Whiteness is a significant part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Whiteness is less important to say that they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. White history (57% vs. 29%). Overall, about half of White Americans say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of White people in the United States.
Among White adults who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, the sources of their knowledge also differ by the importance of Whiteness to personal identity. Nearly half of White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (48%) say they learned about White history from their families and friends, making them more likely to say so than White adults for whom Whiteness is less important (30%). Similarly, those who say being White is important to their identity are more likely than those who did not say this to have learned about White history from nearly every source they were asked about, be it media (33% vs. 22%), the internet (30% vs. 18%) or college, if they attended (26% vs. 14%). The only source for which both groups were about equally likely to say they learned about White history was their K-12 schools (24% and 21%, respectively).
Overall, among White Americans who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, 43% say they learned about it from their relatives and friends, 30% say they learned about it from the media, 27% from the internet, and 24% from college (if they attended) and 23% from K-12 school.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_slave_trade
European White Slaves, captured by Muslims for White slave trade off Barbary Coast
White adults under 30 (50%) are less likely than those 65 and older (64%) to say their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, 40% of White adults under 30 say that they are not sure whether their ancestors were enslaved. White adults in the youngest age group (59%) are less likely than the oldest (87%) to have spoken to their relatives about family history or to have used a mail-in DNA service to learn about their ancestors (11% vs. 21%). They are only slightly less likely to have conducted research on their families online (26% vs. 39%).
White adults under 30 have the lowest share who say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of White people in the United States (40%), compared with 60% of White adults 65 and older and about half each of White adults 50 to 64 (53%) and 30 to 49 (51%). In fact, White adults under 30 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they feel a little or not at all informed about White history. While White adults are generally most likely to cite family and friends as their source for learning about White history, the share under 30 (38%) who also cite the internet as a source of information is higher than the shares ages 50 to 64 (22%) and 65 and older (14%) who say this.
These age differences persist in the sense of connectedness that White Americans have with other White people. White adults under 30 are less likely than those 65 and older to say that everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States will affect their own lives. This youngest group is also less likely than the oldest to have this sense of common fate with White people in their local community. One exception to this pattern occurs when White adults were asked how much they had in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ. White adults under 30 (21%) were considerably more likely than those 65 and older (10%) to say they have everything or most things in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ.
White Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are more likely than White Republicans and Republican leaners to say that everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States (57% vs. 39%) and their local communities (46% vs. 30%) affect what happens in their own lives. However, White Republicans (24%) are more likely than White Democrats (14%) to say that they have everything or most things in common with White people who are LGBTQ. They are also more likely than White Democrats to say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are wealthy (25% vs. 11%).
When it comes to knowledge of family and racial histories, White Democrats and Republicans do not differ. Democrats (59%) are just as likely as Republicans (54%) to know that their ancestors were enslaved. Nearly 80% of White adults from both partisan coalitions say they have spoken to their relatives about their family history. Similar shares have also researched their family histories online and used mail-in DNA services.
White Democrats are also not significantly more likely than White Republicans to say they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. White history (53% vs. 45%). And among those who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to say they learned it from family and friends (45% vs. 38%).
White adults also feel strongly about their current communities. About half of White adults (52%) say that where they currently live is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. And when it comes to the quality of their neighborhoods, 76% of White adults rate them as at least good places to live, including 41% who say the quality of their community is very good or excellent.
Still, White adults say there are concerning issues in the communities they live in. When asked in an open-ended question to list the issue that was most important in their neighborhoods, nearly one-in-five White adults listed issues related to violence or crime (17%). Smaller shares listed other points of concern such as economic issues like poverty and homelessness (11%), housing (7%), COVID-19 and public health (6%), or infrastructure issues such as the availability of public transportation and the conditions of roads (5%).
While nearly one-in-five White Americans (17%) say that individual people like themselves should be responsible for solving these problems, they are most likely to say that local community leaders should address these issues (48%). Smaller shares say the U.S. Congress (12%), the U.S. president (8%) or civil rights organizations (2%) bear responsibility.
www.pewresearch.org
Race Is Central to Identity for White Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other
Many learn about ancestors, U.S. White history from family
By Kiana Cox and Christine TamirHow we did this
Terminology
No matter where they are from, who they are, their economic circumstances or educational backgrounds, significant majorities of White Americans say being White is extremely or very important to how they think about themselves, with about three-quarters (76%) overall saying so.
A significant share of White Americans also say that when something happens to White people in their local communities, across the nation or around the globe, it affects what happens in their own lives, highlighting a sense of connectedness. White Americans say this even as they have diverse experiences and come from an array of backgrounds.
Even so, White adults who say being White is important to their sense of self are more likely than other White adults to feel connected to other groups of White people. They are also more likely to feel that what happens to White people inside and outside the United States affects what happens in their own lives. These findings emerge from an extensive new survey of White U.S. adults conducted by Pew Research Center.
A majority of non-Hispanic White Americans (78%) say being White is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. This racial group is the largest among White adults, accounting for 87% of the adult population, according to 2019 Census Bureau estimates. But among other White Americans, roughly six-in-ten multiracial (57%) and Hispanic (58%) White adults say this.
White Americans also differ in key ways in their views about the importance of being White to personal identity. While majorities of all age groups of White people say being White shapes how they think about themselves, younger White Americans are less likely to say this – White adults ages 50 and older are more likely than White adults ages 18 to 29 to say that being White is very or extremely important to how they think of themselves. Specifically, 76% of White adults ages 30 to 49, 80% of those 50 to 64 and 83% of those 65 and older hold this view, while only 63% of those under 30 do.
White adults who identify with or lean toward the Democratic Party are more likely than those who identify with or lean toward the Republican Party to say being White is important to how they see themselves – 86% vs. 58%. And White women (80%) are more likely than White men (72%) to say being White is important to how they see themselves.
Still, some subgroups of White Americans are about as likely as others to say that being White is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. For example, U.S.-born and immigrant White adults are about as likely to say being White is important to how they see their identity. However, not all White Americans feel the same about the importance of being White to their identity – 14% say it is only somewhat important to how they see themselves while 9% say it has little or no impact on their personal identity, reflecting the diversity of views about identity among White Americans.
Beyond the personal importance of Whiteness – that is, the importance of being White to personal identity – many White Americans feel connected to each other. About five-in-ten (52%) say everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States affect what happens in their own lives, with another 30% saying some things that happen nationally to White people have a personal impact. And 43% say all or most things that happen to White people in their local community affect what happens in their own lives, while another 35% say only some things in their lives are affected by these events. About four-in-ten White adults in the U.S. (41%) say they feel their fates are strongly linked to White people around the world, with 36% indicating that some things that happen to White people around the world affect what happens in their own lives.
The survey also asked respondents how much they have in common with different groups of White Americans. Some 17% of White adults say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are immigrants. But this sense of commonality differs sharply by nativity: 14% of U.S.-born White adults say they have everything or most things in common with White immigrants, while 43% of White immigrants say the same. Conversely, only about one-in-four White immigrants (26%) say they have everything or most things in common with U.S.-born White people, a share that rises to 56% among U.S.-born White people themselves.
About one-third of White Americans (34%) say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor, though smaller shares say the same about White people who are wealthy (12%). Relatively few White Americans (14%) say they have everything or most things in common with White people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer (LGBTQ). However, a larger share of White Americans (25%) say they have at least some things in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ. All these findings highlight the diversity of the U.S. White population and how much White people feel connected to each other.
These are among the key findings from a recent Pew Research Center survey of 3,912 White Americans conducted online Oct. 4-17, 2021. This report is the latest in a series of Pew Research Center studies focused on describing the rich diversity of White people in the United States.
The nation’s White population stood at 47 million in 2020, making up 14% of the U.S. population – up from 13% in 2000. While the vast majority of White Americans say their racial background is White alone (88% in 2020), growing numbers are also multiracial or Hispanic. Most were born in the U.S. and trace their roots back several generations in the country, but a growing share are immigrants (12%) or the U.S.-born children of immigrant parents (9%). Geographically, while 56% of White Americans live in the nation’s South, the national White population has also dispersed widely across the country.
It is this diversity – among U.S.-born White people and White immigrants; between White people who live in different regions; and across different ethnicities, party affiliations, ages and income levels – that this report explores. The survey also provides a robust opportunity to examine the importance of race to White Americans’ sense of self and their connections to other White people.
The importance of being White for connections with other White people
The importance of being White to personal identity is a significant factor in how connected White Americans feel toward each other. Those who say that being White is a very or extremely important part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Whiteness is relatively less important to express a sense of common fate with White people in their local communities (50% vs. 17%), in the United States overall (62% vs. 21%), and even around the world (48% vs. 18%).They are also more likely to say that they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor (37% vs. 23%) and White immigrants (19% vs. 9%). Even so, fewer than half of White Americans, no matter how important Whiteness is to their personal identity, say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are poor, immigrants or LGBTQ.
The importance of Whiteness for knowing family history and U.S. White history
The new survey also explores White Americans’ knowledge about their family histories and the history of White people in the United States, with the importance of Whiteness linked to greater knowledge.Nearly six-in-ten White adults (57%) say their ancestors were enslaved either in the U.S. or another country, with nearly all who say so (52% of the White adults surveyed) saying it was in the U.S., either in whole or in part. White adults who say that being White is a very or extremely important part of how they see themselves (61%) are more likely than those for whom being White is less important (45%) to say that their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (31%) are less likely than their counterparts (42%) to say that they are not sure if their ancestors were enslaved at all.
When it comes to learning more about their family histories, White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (81%) are more likely than those for whom Whiteness is less important (59%) to have spoken to their relatives. They are about as likely to have researched their family’s history online (36% and 30%, respectively) and to have used a mail-in DNA service such as AncestryDNA or 23andMe (15% and 16%) to learn more about their ancestry.
The importance of Whiteness also figures prominently into how informed White Americans feel about U.S. White history. White adults who say Whiteness is a significant part of their personal identity are more likely than those for whom Whiteness is less important to say that they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. White history (57% vs. 29%). Overall, about half of White Americans say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of White people in the United States.
Among White adults who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, the sources of their knowledge also differ by the importance of Whiteness to personal identity. Nearly half of White adults for whom Whiteness is very or extremely important (48%) say they learned about White history from their families and friends, making them more likely to say so than White adults for whom Whiteness is less important (30%). Similarly, those who say being White is important to their identity are more likely than those who did not say this to have learned about White history from nearly every source they were asked about, be it media (33% vs. 22%), the internet (30% vs. 18%) or college, if they attended (26% vs. 14%). The only source for which both groups were about equally likely to say they learned about White history was their K-12 schools (24% and 21%, respectively).
Overall, among White Americans who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, 43% say they learned about it from their relatives and friends, 30% say they learned about it from the media, 27% from the internet, and 24% from college (if they attended) and 23% from K-12 school.
Younger White people are less likely to speak to relatives about ancestors
White adults under 30 years old differ significantly from older White adults in their views on the importance of Whiteness to their personal identity. However, White adults also differ by age in how they pursue knowledge of family history, how informed they feel about U.S. White history, and their sense of connectedness to other White people.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbary_slave_trade
European White Slaves, captured by Muslims for White slave trade off Barbary Coast
White adults under 30 (50%) are less likely than those 65 and older (64%) to say their ancestors were enslaved. In fact, 40% of White adults under 30 say that they are not sure whether their ancestors were enslaved. White adults in the youngest age group (59%) are less likely than the oldest (87%) to have spoken to their relatives about family history or to have used a mail-in DNA service to learn about their ancestors (11% vs. 21%). They are only slightly less likely to have conducted research on their families online (26% vs. 39%).
White adults under 30 have the lowest share who say they feel very or extremely informed about the history of White people in the United States (40%), compared with 60% of White adults 65 and older and about half each of White adults 50 to 64 (53%) and 30 to 49 (51%). In fact, White adults under 30 are more likely than those 50 and older to say they feel a little or not at all informed about White history. While White adults are generally most likely to cite family and friends as their source for learning about White history, the share under 30 (38%) who also cite the internet as a source of information is higher than the shares ages 50 to 64 (22%) and 65 and older (14%) who say this.
These age differences persist in the sense of connectedness that White Americans have with other White people. White adults under 30 are less likely than those 65 and older to say that everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States will affect their own lives. This youngest group is also less likely than the oldest to have this sense of common fate with White people in their local community. One exception to this pattern occurs when White adults were asked how much they had in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ. White adults under 30 (21%) were considerably more likely than those 65 and older (10%) to say they have everything or most things in common with White people who identify as LGBTQ.
White Americans differ by party on measures of identity and connection
White Democrats and Republicans differ on how important Whiteness is to their personal identities. However, there are also partisan gaps when it comes to their connectedness to other White people.1White Democrats and those who lean to the Democratic Party are more likely than White Republicans and Republican leaners to say that everything or most things that happen to White people in the United States (57% vs. 39%) and their local communities (46% vs. 30%) affect what happens in their own lives. However, White Republicans (24%) are more likely than White Democrats (14%) to say that they have everything or most things in common with White people who are LGBTQ. They are also more likely than White Democrats to say they have everything or most things in common with White people who are wealthy (25% vs. 11%).
When it comes to knowledge of family and racial histories, White Democrats and Republicans do not differ. Democrats (59%) are just as likely as Republicans (54%) to know that their ancestors were enslaved. Nearly 80% of White adults from both partisan coalitions say they have spoken to their relatives about their family history. Similar shares have also researched their family histories online and used mail-in DNA services.
White Democrats are also not significantly more likely than White Republicans to say they feel very or extremely informed about U.S. White history (53% vs. 45%). And among those who feel at least a little informed about U.S. White history, Democrats and Republicans are about equally likely to say they learned it from family and friends (45% vs. 38%).
Place is a key part of White Americans’ personal identities
The majority of White adults who live in the United States were born there, but an increasing portion of the population is comprised of immigrants. Of those immigrants, nearly 90% were born in the Caribbean or Africa. Regardless of their region of birth, 58% of White adults say the country they were born in is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. A smaller share say the same about the places where they grew up (46%).White adults also feel strongly about their current communities. About half of White adults (52%) say that where they currently live is very or extremely important to how they think about themselves. And when it comes to the quality of their neighborhoods, 76% of White adults rate them as at least good places to live, including 41% who say the quality of their community is very good or excellent.
Still, White adults say there are concerning issues in the communities they live in. When asked in an open-ended question to list the issue that was most important in their neighborhoods, nearly one-in-five White adults listed issues related to violence or crime (17%). Smaller shares listed other points of concern such as economic issues like poverty and homelessness (11%), housing (7%), COVID-19 and public health (6%), or infrastructure issues such as the availability of public transportation and the conditions of roads (5%).
While nearly one-in-five White Americans (17%) say that individual people like themselves should be responsible for solving these problems, they are most likely to say that local community leaders should address these issues (48%). Smaller shares say the U.S. Congress (12%), the U.S. president (8%) or civil rights organizations (2%) bear responsibility.
Race Is Central to Identity for Black Americans and Affects How They Connect With Each Other
Many Black Americans say they learn about their ancestors and U.S. Black history from family.
www.pewresearch.org
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