Race & Ethnicity

data essayMay 7, 2025

Roughly seven-in-ten Americans (72%) say the increased focus on race and racial inequality after Floyd’s killing did not lead to changes that improved the lives of Black people. And 54% say the relationship between Black people and police is about the same as before Floyd was killed.

short readMay 1, 2025

short readApr 30, 2025

short readMar 10, 2025

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks is sworn in at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 3, 2025, the first day of the 119th Congress. Alsobrooks is one of two Black women currently serving in the Senate. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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short readsJun 10, 2013

As the Trayvon Martin case goes to trial, remembering a major media event

Today marks the beginning of what is likely to be a closely watched courtroom battle—the murder trial of George Zimmerman for the fatal shooting of 17-year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida on February 26, 2012. While there has been ongoing coverage of the case and the run-up to the trial, it may be hard […]
reportJun 3, 2013

Inside the 2012 Latino Electorate

I. Inside the 2012 Latino Electorate A record 11.2 million Latinos voted in the 2012 presidential election, but Latinos’ voter turnout rate continues to lag other groups significantly, according to an analysis of new Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center. Overall, 48% of Hispanic eligible voters turned out to vote in 2012, down […]
short readsMay 28, 2013

What’s behind the falling teen birth rates?

The sharp drop in teen birth rates, especially among Hispanic teens, appears to be linked to both economic and attitudinal factors. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last week that the birth rate among 15- to 19-year-olds had fallen to a record low 31.3 births per 1,000 in 2011. Teen birth rates dropped for […]
reportMay 20, 2013

As Supreme Court Weighs Voting Rights Act Changes, No Racial Gap in Voting Problems

By Andrew Kohut In the next several weeks the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the requirement that several states, mostly in the South, get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department before they make any changes to their election laws. The requirement was part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which […]
reportMay 19, 2013

Race and Voting

In the next several weeks the Supreme Court is expected to rule on the constitutionality of the requirement that several states, mostly in the South, get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department before they make any changes to their election laws. The requirement was part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which was an emergency […]
short readsMay 15, 2013

Skepticism about a landmark Census finding

The Census Bureau made big news last week when it reported that the black voter turnout rate (66.2%) exceeded the white voter turnout rate (64.1%) for the first time ever in 2012. But a closer look at the numbers raises some intriguing questions. It’s possible that the lines may have first crossed in 2008. But […]
short readsMay 10, 2013

Politics and race: looking ahead to 2060

The report on the racial and ethnic breakdown of voters in 2012 released Wednesday by the Census Bureau attracted lots of well-deserved attention. But for readers of political tea-leaves, a report the bureau issued last December tells an even more compelling story. That report projected the racial and ethnic makeup of the U.S. population through […]
reportMay 9, 2013

Hispanic High School Graduates Pass Whites in Rate of College Enrollment

I. Overview A record seven-in-ten (69%) Hispanic high school graduates in the class of 2012 enrolled in college that fall, two percentage points higher than the rate (67%) among their white counterparts,[1. Because the microdata for the October 2012 Current Population Surevey are not yet publicly available, a standard error for these rates cannot be […]
reportMay 8, 2013

Six Take-Aways from the Census Bureau’s Voting Report
reportMay 3, 2013

Video: The State of Race in America

Pew Research Center Executive Vice President Paul Taylor presented on the state of race in America at the Aspen Institute. Download the PowerPoint presentation: State of Race April 2013