The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Indians, or: How the Questions You Ask Determine the Answers You Get

• In Event: Race, Ethnicity and Political Culture(s) in Latin America

Abstract

The 2012 Bolivian Census produced a surprising result: 41% of the adult population identified themselves as part of one of the indigenous groups in the country. This figure differs dramatically from the 62% that was registered in the previous Census in 2001. And the result is even more surprising if you consider that the country has implemented during the last few years, and since the election of its first indigenous President in 2006, a series of policies oriented at granting indigenous groups particular rights and benefits. Using survey data from the 2012 and 2014 rounds of LAPOP’s AmericasBarometer this paper shows that the main reason for this change is a change in the instrument used for identifying indigenous population: the self-identification employed in the censuses. The paper also explores socioeconomic factors associated with identification as indigenous, finding evidence suggesting that part of this identification is based on political grounds.

Author

• Daniel E Moreno Morales, Ciudadanía