The racial self-identi® cation of South Asians in the United States

The racial identity of South Asians has long been a subject of controversy in the United States. Their inchoate racial status translates into a variety of racial descriptors being chosen by and for South Asians. This paper uses 1990 census data to examine the socio-economic and demographic correlates of the racial self-identi® cation choices made by household heads of Asian Indian origin, both foreignand US-born. The results of multinomial logit analysis show that respondents who are more acculturated to the United States are more likely to describe themselves as `Black’ or `White’ than are those with less familiarity with American society. However, higher socio-economic levels are associated with a greater likelihood of self-identi® cation as South Asian on the census race question. Finally, comparison with a sample of Asian Indian children reveals the latter’s greater tendency to be identi® ed with a race other than South Asian, due both to their more extensive mixed ancestry and their larger share of US-born respondents.