Formalization of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) Category Will Impact Measurement of Black-White Disparities

• In Event: New Approaches to Racial and Ethnic Classification and Identity

Abstract

Changing racial classification schemes have been shown to impact how race is conceptualized and measured, though little research has explored these consequences among U.S. non-Hispanic Whites due to the group’s assumed stability. This paper explores how the implementation of a Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) category, in accordance with the updated 2024 Office of Management and Budget standards, will shift the composition of the non-Hispanic White reference group, thus affecting reported Black-White gaps across a number of socioeconomic indicators. Using 2014-2018 and 2019-2023 5-year American Community Survey microdata, preliminary analyses show negligible change at a national level, but marked changes at subnational level, particularly among metropolitan statistical areas with larger MENA populations. This paper has implications for the perception of trends and narrative-building surrounding Black-White disparities at a national and subnational level while underscoring the consequences of shifting racial classification schemes and the impact of disaggregating MENA from White.

Authors

• Leila Moustafa, University of Wisconsin-Madison

• Clayton Adamson, University of Wisconsin-Madison