{"id":101048,"date":"2024-02-12T18:57:35","date_gmt":"2024-02-12T23:57:35","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-03-19T15:38:53","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T19:38:53","slug":"who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Are You? The Art and Science of Measuring Identity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-cover alignfull is-light is-style-disable-mobile-collapse\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-block-cover__image-background wp-image-2745\" alt=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_hero-image.png\" style=\"object-position:51% 56%\" data-object-fit=\"cover\" data-object-position=\"51% 56%\"\/><span aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-cover__background has-background-dim-0 has-background-dim\"><\/span><div class=\"wp-block-cover__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-cover-is-layout-flow\">\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-link-color has-h-1-font-size wp-elements-08721166905f03e755892c86986d8ff6\" id=\"who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\">Who Are You? The Art and Science of Measuring Identity<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display has-small-label-font-size is-layout-flex wp-container-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-7b1574cb wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display-is-layout-flex\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__bylines\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-bylines-display__prefix\">By<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/scott-keeter\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Scott Keeter\">Scott Keeter<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/anna-brown\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Anna Brown\">Anna Brown<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/dana-mildred-popky\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Dana Popky\">Dana Popky<\/a><span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__separator\">, <\/span><a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/nick-zanetti\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Nick Zanetti\">Nick Zanetti<\/a> <span class=\"prc-platform-staff-bylines__and-separator\">and<\/span> <a rel=\"author\" href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/staff\/bill-webster\/\" aria-label=\"View author archive for Bill Webster\">Bill Webster<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aligncenter essay--toolbar is-style-default is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"has-text-align-left wp-block-post-date has-small-label-font-size\"><time datetime=\"2024-02-12T18:57:35-05:00\">February 12, 2024<\/time><\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-social-links has-small-icon-size has-icon-color is-style-logos-only is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-social-links-is-layout-3e41869c wp-block-social-links-is-layout-flex\">\n\n\n\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div data-sticky-id=\"sticky-2\" data-wp-init--sticky-support=\"prc-block\/supports::callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/supports\" class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained wp-container-1 is-position-sticky block-visibility-hide-large-screen prc-block-visibility__desktop\"><ol style=\" --block-gap: var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);\" class=\"is-style-dropdown has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_101048&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Who Are You? 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The Art and Science of Measuring Identity<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignleft is-style-250-wide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained block-visibility-hide-medium-screen prc-block-visibility__tablet block-visibility-hide-small-screen prc-block-visibility__mobile\"><ol style=\"line-height:1 \" class=\"is-style-default has-text-color has--color has-background has--background-color wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents has-sans-serif-font-family\" aria-role=\"navigation\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/table-of-contents\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;items&quot;:[{&quot;key&quot;:&quot;unattachedPackagePart_101048&quot;,&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Who Are You? 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The Art and Science of Measuring Identity<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list sections\" data-wp-hidden=\"callbacks.hasSections\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<template data-wp-each--section=\"context.chapter.sections\">\n\t\t\t<li class=\"wp-block-prc-block-table-of-contents__list-item\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"state.isActive\" data-wp-watch--for-current-section=\"callbacks.watchForCurrentSection\">\n\t\t\t\t<a data-wp-bind--href=\"context.section.url\" data-wp-text=\"context.section.label\" data-wp-on--click=\"callbacks.scrollSmoothly\"><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t<\/template>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/ol><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">As a shop that studies human behavior through surveys and other social scientific techniques, we have a good line of sight into the contradictory nature of human preferences. Today, we\u2019re calling out one of those that affects us as pollsters: categorizing our survey participants in ways that enhance our understanding of how people think and behave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/pm_2024-02-12_identities_gif-gif\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120883\"><img data-dominant-color=\"fbfbf8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_gif.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120883 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #fbfbf8; width:250px\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Here\u2019s the tension: On the one hand, many humans really like to group <em>other humans<\/em> into categories. Think, \u201cWomen are more likely to vote Democratic and men to vote Republican.\u201d It helps us get a handle on big, messy trends in societal thought. To get this info, surveys need to ask each respondent how they would describe themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">On the other hand, most of us as individuals <em>don\u2019t<\/em> like being put into these categories. \u201cI\u2019m more than my gender! And I\u2019m not <em>really <\/em>a Republican, though I do always vote for them.\u201d On top of that, many don\u2019t like being asked nosy questions about sensitive topics. A list of the common demographic questions at the end of a survey can basically serve as a list of things <em>not <\/em>to raise at Thanksgiving dinner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">But our readers want to see themselves in our reports, and they want to know what people who are like them \u2013 and unlike them \u2013 think. To do that, it\u2019s helpful for us to categorize people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;which-traits-do-we-ask-about-and-why&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"which-traits-do-we-ask-about-and-why\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\">Which traits do we ask about, and why?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Unlike most Pew Research Center reports, where the emphasis is on original research and the presentation of findings, our goal here is to explain <em>how<\/em> we do this \u2013 that is, how we measure some of the most important core characteristics of the public, which we then use to describe Americans and talk about their opinions and behaviors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">To do so, we first chose what we judged to be the most important personal characteristics and identities for comparing people who take part in our surveys. Then, for each trait, we looked at a range of aspects: <strong>why and how it came to be important<\/strong> to survey research; <strong>how its measurement has evolved<\/strong> over time; <strong>what challenges exist <\/strong>to the accurate measurement of each; <strong>and what controversies, if any, remain<\/strong> over its measurement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">These considerations and more <strong>shape<\/strong> <strong>how we at Pew Research Center measure several important personal characteristics and identities<\/strong> in our surveys of the U.S. public. Here are some things to know about key demographic questions we ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"line-height:1.6\" class=\"wp-block-list has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Our main <mark style=\"background-color:#e4cb84\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>religion<\/strong><\/mark> question asks respondents to choose from 11 groups that encompass 97% of the U.S. public: eight religious groups and three categories of people who don\u2019t affiliate with a religion. Other, less common faiths are measured by respondents writing in their answer. Our questions have evolved in response to <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2024\/01\/24\/religious-nones-in-america-who-they-are-and-what-they-believe\/\">a rise in the share of Americans who do not identify with any religion<\/a> and to the growing diversity in the country\u2019s population. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-2\">(Chapter 1)<\/a> <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Measuring <mark style=\"background-color:#ea9e2c\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>income<\/strong><\/mark> is challenging because it is both sensitive and sometimes difficult for respondents to estimate. We ask for a person\u2019s \u201ctotal family income\u201d the previous calendar year from all sources before taxes, in part because that may correspond roughly to what a family computed for filing income taxes. To reduce the burden, we present ranges (e.g., \u201c$30,000 to less than $40,000\u201d) rather than asking for a specific number. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-4\">(Chapter 2)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>We ask about <mark style=\"background-color:#a55a26\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>political party affiliation<\/strong><\/mark> using a two-part question. People who initially identify as an independent or \u201csomething else\u201d (instead of as a Republican or Democrat) and those who refuse to answer receive a follow-up question asking whether they lean more to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. In many of their attitudes and behaviors, those who only lean to a party greatly resemble those who identify with it. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-6\">(Chapter 3)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Our <mark style=\"background-color:#a5673f\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>gender<\/strong><\/mark> question tries to use terminology that is easily understood. It asks, \u201cDo you describe yourself as a man, a woman or in some other way?\u201d Amid national conversation on the subjects, gender and sexual orientation are topics on the cutting edge of survey measurement. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-8\">(Chapter 4)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In part because we use U.S. Census Bureau estimates to statistically adjust our data, we ask about <mark style=\"background-color:#006699\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>race and Hispanic ethnicity<\/strong><\/mark> separately, just as the census does. People can select all races that apply to them. In the future, the census may combine race and ethnicity into one question. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-10\">(Chapter 5)<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A person\u2019s <mark style=\"background-color:#436983\" class=\"has-inline-color has-white-color\"> <strong>age<\/strong><\/mark> tells us both where they fall in the life span, indicating what social roles and responsibilities they may have, and what era or generation they belong to, which may tell us what events in history had an effect on their political or social thinking. We typically ask people to report just the year of their birth, which is less intrusive than their exact date of birth. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/?activeAccordion=accordion-12\">(Chapter 6)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Each of these presents interesting challenges and choices. While there are widely accepted best practices for some, polling professionals disagree about how most effectively to measure many characteristics and identities. Complicating the effort is that some people rebel against the very idea of being categorized and think the effort to measure some of these dimensions is divisive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;its-important-that-our-surveys-accurately-represent-the-public&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"its-important-that-our-surveys-accurately-represent-the-public\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\">It\u2019s important that our surveys accurately represent the public<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">In addition to being able to describe opinions using characteristics like race, sex and education, it\u2019s important to measure these traits for another reason: We can use them to make sure our samples are representative of the population. That\u2019s because most of them are also measured in large, high-quality U.S. Census Bureau surveys that produce trustworthy national statistics. We can make sure that the makeup of our samples \u2013 what share are high school graduates, or are ages 65 or older, or identify as Hispanic, and so on \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/short-reads\/2018\/12\/06\/how-asking-about-your-sleep-smoking-or-yoga-habits-can-help-pollsters-verify-their-findings\/\">match benchmarks established by the Census Bureau<\/a>. To do this, we use a tool called weighting to adjust our samples mathematically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Some of the characteristics we\u2019ll talk about are not measured by the government: notably, religion and party affiliation. We\u2019ve developed an alternative way of coming up with trustworthy estimates for those characteristics \u2013 our <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/fact-sheet\/national-public-opinion-reference-survey-npors\/\">National Public Opinion Reference Survey<\/a>, which we conduct annually for use in weighting our samples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;You-are-who-you-say-you-are-usually&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"You-are-who-you-say-you-are-usually\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\">You are who you say you are \u2013 usually<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/pm_2024-02-12_identities_0-01-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120881\"><img data-dominant-color=\"c9c8c8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"480\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120881 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #c9c8c8; width:420px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=300,171 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=768,439 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=709,405 709w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=200,114 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=260,149 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=310,177 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=420,240 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=640,366 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=740,423 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=160,91 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=320,183 320w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=194,110 194w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=148,84 148w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-01.png?resize=296,168 296w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">We mostly follow the rule that \u201cyou are who you say you are,\u201d meaning we place people into whichever categories they say they are in. But that was not always true in survey research for some kinds of characteristics. Through 1950, enumerators for the U.S. census typically <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/social-trends\/2010\/01\/21\/race-and-the-census-the-negro-controversy\/\">coded a person\u2019s race by observation<\/a>, not by asking. And pollsters using telephone surveys used respondents\u2019 voices and other cues in the interview to identify their gender, rather than by asking them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Nowadays, we typically ask. We still make judgments that sometimes end up placing a person in a different category than the one in which they originally placed themselves. For example, when we group people by religion, we use some categories that are not familiar to everyone, such as \u201cmainline Protestant\u201d for a set of denominations that includes the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">And we sometimes use respondents\u2019 answers to categorize them in ways that go beyond what a single question can capture \u2013 such as when we use a combination of family income, household size and geographic location to classify people as living in an <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/fact-tank\/2020\/07\/23\/are-you-in-the-american-middle-class\/\">upper-, middle- or lower-income household<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;Nosy-but-necessary-questions&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" id=\"Nosy-but-necessary-questions\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\">Nosy but necessary questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/who-are-you-the-art-and-science-of-measuring-identity\/pm_2024-02-12_identities_0-02-png\/\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-120882\"><img data-dominant-color=\"859e8e\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"840\" height=\"480\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 420px) 100vw, 420px\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-120882 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #859e8e; width:420px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png 840w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=300,171 300w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=768,439 768w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=709,405 709w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=200,114 200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=260,149 260w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=310,177 310w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=420,240 420w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=640,366 640w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=740,423 740w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=160,91 160w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=320,183 320w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=194,110 194w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=148,84 148w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2024\/02\/PM_2024.02.12_identities_0-02.png?resize=296,168 296w\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">As much as people enjoy hearing about people like themselves, some find these types of personal questions intrusive or rude. The advice columnist Judith Martin, writing under the name Miss Manners, once <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/news\/ct-xpm-1998-01-01-9801010196-story.html\">provided a list of topics<\/a> that \u201cpolite people do not bring into social conversation.\u201d It included \u201csex, religion, politics, money, illness\u201d and many, many more. Obviously, pollsters have to ask about many of these if we are to describe the views of different kinds of people (at Pew Research Center, we at least occasionally ask about all of these). But as a profession, we have an obligation to do so in a respectful and transparent manner and to carefully protect the confidentiality of the responses we receive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">If you\u2019ve participated in a survey, it\u2019s likely that the demographic questions came at the end. Partly out of concern that people might quit the survey prematurely in reaction to the questions, pollsters typically place these questions last because they are sensitive for some people and boring for most. Like other organizations that use survey panels \u2013 collections of people who have agreed to take surveys on a regular basis and are compensated for their participation \u2013 we benefit from a high level of trust that builds up over months or years of frequent surveys. This is reflected in the fact that we have fewer people refusing to answer our question about family income (about 5%) than is typical for surveys that ask about that sensitive topic. Historically, in the individual telephone surveys we conducted before we created the online <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2019\/02\/27\/growing-and-improving-pew-research-centers-american-trends-panel\/\">American Trends Panel<\/a>, 10% or more of respondents refused to disclose their family income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">One other nice benefit of a survey panel, as opposed to one-off surveys (which interview a sample of people just one time) is that we don\u2019t have to subject people to demographic questions as frequently. In a one-off survey, we have to ask about any and all personal characteristics we need for the analysis. Those take up precious questionnaire space and potentially annoy respondents. In our panel, we ask most of these questions just once per year, since we are interviewing the same people regularly and most of these characteristics do not change very much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Speaking of questions that Miss Manners might avoid, let\u2019s jump into the deep end: measuring religion. (Or choose your own adventure by clicking on the menu.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;choose-a-demographic-category&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\" id=\"choose-a-demographic-category\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\">Choose a demographic category<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignfull has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-container-core-group-is-layout-01302ce7 wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div data-wp-context=\"{&quot;activeId&quot;:null}\" data-wp-init=\"callbacks.onInit\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion-controller has-georgia-font-family is-layout-flex wp-container-prc-block-accordion-controller-is-layout-a04c0234 wp-block-prc-block-accordion-controller-is-layout-flex\">\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-5\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Religion and religious affiliation<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-georgia-font-family has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101098\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/07\/religion-and-religious-affiliation\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-4&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/07\\\/religion-and-religious-affiliation\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-4\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--religion has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--religion-2 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-7\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Income<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101089\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/08\/2-income\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-6&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/08\\\/2-income\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-6\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--income has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--income-2 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-9\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Party affiliation<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101082\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/08\/3-party-affiliation\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-8&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/08\\\/3-party-affiliation\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-8\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-11\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Gender and sexual orientation<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101073\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/08\/4-gender-and-sexual-orientation\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-10&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/08\\\/4-gender-and-sexual-orientation\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-10\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__curve accordion-background__curve--gender has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__vertical accordion-background__vertical--gender has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__curly accordion-background__curly--gender has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--gender has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-13\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Race and ethnicity<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101065\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/08\/5-race-and-ethnicity\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-12&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/08\\\/5-race-and-ethnicity\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-12\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--race has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--race-2 has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<section data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/accordion-controller\" id=\"accordion-15\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion is-style-rainbow\"><h3 data-wp-class--is-open=\"callbacks.isActiveAccordion\" data-wp-on--click=\"actions.onClick\" class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title has-serif-font-family\" style=\"font-size:clamp(15.747px, 0.984rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.938), 24px);\"><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__icon\"><i class=\"icon icon-library__solid icon__caret-right\"><svg style=\"width: 1em; height: 1em;\"><use xlink:href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/plugins\/prc-icon-library\/build\/icons\/sprites\/solid.svg#caret-right\"><\/use><\/svg><\/i><\/span><span class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__title-text\">Age and generations<\/span><\/h3><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-accordion__content is-layout-flow wp-block-prc-block-accordion-is-layout-flow\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group background-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-group entity-parent has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><div class=\"wp-block-prc-block-entity-as-iframe\" data-ref-id=\"101059\" data-entity-iframe-prefetch-url=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/08\/6-age-and-generations\/iframe\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&#038;iframeTemplate=content\" data-wp-interactive=\"prc-block\/entity-as-iframe\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;prc-entity-iframe-14&quot;,&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/alpha.pewresearch.org\\\/pewresearch-org\\\/methods\\\/2024\\\/02\\\/08\\\/6-age-and-generations\\\/iframe\\\/?prc_entity_iframe=1&amp;iframeTemplate=content&quot;,&quot;src&quot;:&quot;&quot;}\" data-wp-watch--on-activate=\"callbacks.onActivate\" data-wp-class--is-active=\"callbacks.isActive\" data-iframe-height><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\" id=\"prc-entity-iframe-14\" data-wp-bind--src=\"context.src\" height=\"500px\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__curve accordion-background__curve--age has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__vertical accordion-background__vertical--age has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__curly accordion-background__curly--age has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group accordion-background accordion-background__cross accordion-background__cross--age has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"acknowledgments\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Acknowledgments <\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">This essay was written by Scott Keeter, Anna Brown and Dana Popky with the support of the U.S. Survey Methods team at Pew Research Center. Several others provided helpful comments and input on this study, including Tanya Arditi, Nida Asheer, Achsah Callahan, Alan Cooperman, Claudia Deane, Carroll Doherty, Rachel Drian, Juliana Horowitz, Courtney Kennedy, Jocelyn Kiley, Hannah Klein, Mark Hugo Lopez, Kim Parker, Jeff Passel, Julia O&#8217;Hanlon, Baxter Oliphant, Maya Pottiger, Talia Price and Greg Smith. Graphics were created by Bill Webster, developed by Nick Zanetti and produced by Sara Atske. Anna Jackson offered extensive copy editing of the finished product. See full <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/2024\/02\/12\/measuring-identitites-acknowledgments\/\">acknowledgments<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\"><em>All of the illustrations and photos are from Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\">Find <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/topic\/methodological-research\/\">related content<\/a> about our survey practices and methodological research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/methods\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2023\/04\/PM_2024.02.12_Measuring-Identities.pdf\">Download as PDF<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"line-height:1.8\"><em>CORRECTION (February 20, 2024):&nbsp;An earlier version of this data essay misstated the share of Americans whose religion falls under the 11 main categories offered in the religious affiliation question. The correct share is 97%.&nbsp;This has now been updated.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-prc-platform-feature-loader\" id=\"js-identities-essay\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a shop that studies human behavior through surveys and other social scientific techniques, we have a good line of sight into the contradictory nature of human preferences. 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