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The Iranians Count Census Coalition Releases the Special Tabulation Results from the 2010 U.S. Census
The Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition ("ICCC") is continuing its efforts to ensure that the number of Iranian Americans in the United States is accurately reported by the U.S. Census Bureau. The ICCC has received results from special tabulation report on the number of individuals who identified themselves as Iranian, Iranian American, Persian, or Persian American in the 2010 Census.
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The Iranians Count
Census Coalition Releases the
Special Tabulation
Results from the 2010 U.S. Census
For Immediate Release
Contact: Nobar Elmi
(202) 379-1638
[email protected]
Los Angeles, CA – The Iranians Count 2010 Census Coalition (“ICCC”)
is continuing its efforts to ensure that the number of Iranian Americans in the
United States is accurately reported by the U.S. Census Bureau.
With the results from the 2010 Census officially
tabulated, the ICCC recently requested a special tabulation report on the
number of individuals who identified themselves as Iranian, Iranian American,
Persian, or Persian American in the 2010 Census.
According to the Census Bureau, a total of 289,465
responded to the question of race in the 2010 Census by marking “x” in
the “Some Other Race” box and writing Iranian/Persian alone or in a
combination. The majority of the
write-in responses came from California (157,225), while Texas (20,440) and New
York (12,095) received the second and third highest write-in responses. See attached / Click here to download the
detailed report. Funding for this report
($3,100) was generously sponsored by our ICCC partners, Farhang
Foundation
and Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans
(PAAIA).
The tally for Iranian write-in responses only
represents people who made a concerted effort to write in these particular
responses in 2010. It does not represent, nor is it reflective of the total
count of the number of individuals of Iranian ancestry in America.
Federal data on Iranian Americans is not
derived from the question of race in the Decennial Census but rather from
question of ancestry, which is collected through the annual American Community
Survey (ACS). Data on Iranian ancestry from the annual ACS is available on the Census Bureau’s
American Factfinder
website. The ACS is an ongoing
statistical survey by the U.S. Census Bureau sent to a small percentage of the
population on a rotating basis throughout the decade. It has replaced the census long form, which
was sent to one-in-six households every ten years. It includes a question on ancestry and
provides communities with demographic, social, economic, and housing
information.
Like other ethnic groups, the number of
Iranian Americans has historically been under-represented in Census data. The under representation can be attributed to
the lack of participation in the census surveys as well as the method used by
the Bureau to obtain such information. For
example, although the ACS produces estimations on ancestry, it covers only a
sample population of 3 million individuals per year (about 12.5% of the total
population every five years). Unlike the
ACS, the Decennial Census reaches every household and has no margin of
error. However, it only asks ten basic
questions, excluding ancestry.
As
part of its 2010 Census outreach, and reflecting the limitations of the racial
and ethnic options on the census form, the ICCC encouraged Iranian Americans to
check the “Some Other Race” box and write in Iranian or Iranian American. Similar write-in campaigns were simulated by
other Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) communities and intended to
demonstrate the importance of ancestry or ethnic identity beyond race as well
as the disconnect that many of these communities feel with the method of
classification used in the Decennial Census.
The increase in respondents who opted to self
categorize as “Some Other Race” in the 2010 Census is one of the many
indicators that the current race question may be too limited for our rapidly
changing society. As such, the ICCC has
joined a broader coalition of MENA populations
in requesting that the Census Bureau form a working group committee to advise
the Bureau on future research and communications with such communities. In addition, the Coalition has requested that
the Census Bureau conduct research on how to expand the existing options to
allow for the accurate collection of data on MENA origin populations. This
could be conducted through both the American Community Survey and testing for
questions on the 2020 Census.
By demonstrating that not only hundreds of
thousands of Iranian Americans participated in the 2010 Census but also
voluntarily self identified their ancestry or ethnic origin, the community is
in a better position to affect positive change in the methods used by the
Census Bureau to accurately reflect the Iranian American community as well as
voice its concerns and needs as a robust and growing community within the
United States.
ABOUT the ICCC
The ICCC was formed to ensure maximum and
consistent participation by Iranian Americans in the U.S. Census. It consists
of forty-seven non-profit Iranian American organizations. Through an aggressive marketing campaign led
by the ICCC, Iranian Americans across the country learned about the importance
of participating in the Census and how to accurately complete Census
forms. These efforts were undertaken to
ensure that the Iranian American community is fully counted in the United
States. More info at www.iranianscount.org
Why is an accurate count of Iranian Americans
so important? An accurate count can increase:
-
Awareness: This may lead to the
designation of Iranians as a minority, which enhances employment, university
admission, and loan qualification opportunities.
-
Funding: Iranians may be
able to receive funding for community-specific work.
-
Political Influence: Elected officials
target ethnic constituencies to solicit their feedback and votes.
-
Public Service: Some local, state
and national organizations are required to provide services that address the
needs of a specific ethnic and minority community (i.e., Persian speaking
nurses).
-
Civic Uses: Ethnic
organizations depend wholly on ancestry data to identify, locate and mobilize
their constituencies. Civil rights agencies also require ancestry data to
monitor discrimination based on national origin.
-
Research Uses: Social scientists,
journalists and other researchers rely on census and ACS data to study ethnic
population groups, demographic trends, and economic and educational mobility.
Read more at National Iranian American Council
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