This study sheds light on the nuanced ways Latinx adults identify racially, showing that both immigrant status and socioeconomic background shape racial self-classification. The findings highlight the diversity of Latinx experiences and underscore the need for inclusive measures of race in research, policy, and interventions addressing race-related stress and anti-Blackness.
Key Insights:
- Being U.S. born increases the likelihood of identifying as Black, likely due to social exposure to racialization and anti-Black experiences in the U.S.
- Lower socioeconomic status is linked to higher identification as Black or “Another race” across most nationality groups, highlighting how race and class intersect.
- Dominican and Mexican adults’ racial identity was not strongly shaped by socioeconomic status or immigrant status, suggesting other factors like phenotype, colorism or internalized anti-Blackness may play a stronger role.
- More inclusive survey designs and policy frameworks are needed to capture the racial diversity within Latinx communities more accurately.