Growing Diversity Means More Multi-racial People and Families

The growing diversity of the United States inevitably leads to a growing number of bi- and multi-racial individuals and families. The May 12th edition of NPR's Weekend news program examined the growing trend in a story entitled,  "Checking more than one box: A growing multiracial nation."

In part, the story, from Minnesota Public Radio, reports, "It's not just that there are more multiracial and biracial people. The government is now counting the group differently. For the first time in modern history, the 2000 Census allowed us to check off more than one box for race."

"The last Census showed 9 million people, about 3 percent of the population, reporting more than one race. That's an increase of one-third from the decade before.

"'The youngest age group, kids under 5 [years old], 7 percent are identified as having more than one race group,' says Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer at the Pew Hispanic Center. 'If we look at the elderly, over 65, it's only 1 percent.'

"That means more people are choosing spouses outside their own race. The change, Passel says, comes from evolving attitudes. Over the past few decades, he says more people have simply come to view intermarriage as no big deal."

Younger people are even more likely than older generations to accept bi-racial marriages within their own families and among their friends.

This growing trend presents a new challenge for marketers. Several authors of books by Paramount Market Publishing include information about bi-racial individuals and their unique set of circumstances and perspectives. You may want to check out Black Still Matters in Marketing by Pepper Miller or Miriam Muley's excellent book on marketing to women of color, The 85 % Niche. Or explore other titles on multicultural consumers on PMP's website.