Racial identity is more fluid than you might think

Plus: Myths about political demography, college towns and the GOP, Ramaswamy and Haley lead early state visits, how to do things with AI

No. 276 | July 21, 2023

👫 Demographics

David Byler: Racial identity is more fluid than you might think (The Washington Post)

“Many Americans assume race is a constant: something people are born into and that — like their birth date or country of origin — simply doesn’t change.

But for a surprising number of us, race is a fluid concept. Polling data show that roughly 8 percent of adults jumped from one racial category to another in recent years. And that has important political implications for the Republican Party.

On the most basic question of race — ‘What racial or ethnic group best describes you?’ — many who initially identified as Hispanic, multiracial or “other” changed their answers in the second round.”

David Byler: 5 myths about politics, busted by data (The Washington Post)

“Politics is full of false stereotypes. Journalists (myself included) often toss out generalizations — “Republicans are the rural party!” or “Democrats now win White college graduates!” — in an attempt to make s…