Majority of mixed-race Americans face racial slurs: Survey

Washington As America becomes more racially diverse six in 10 multiracial adults are proud of their mixedrace background and feel their racial heritage has made them more open to other cultures according to a new surveyAt the same time a majority 55 percent say they have been subjected to racial slurs or jokes and about oneinfour 24 percent have felt annoyed because people have made assumptions about their racial background a Pew Research Centre survey found Still few see their multiracial background as a liability with their numbers growing at a rate three times as fast as the US population as a whole with social taboos against interracial marriage fading it foundIn fact only 4 percent say having a mixed racial background has been a disadvantage in their life About oneinfive 19 percent say it has been an advantage and 76 percent say it has made no differenceThe survey does note separately list people of Indian origin as the US Census Bureau currently recognizes only five racial categories white black or African American American Indian or Alaska Native Asian and Native Hawaiian or Pacific IslanderWhile multiracial adults share some things in common their experiences and attitudes differ significantly depending on the races that make up their background and how the world sees them the survey notedFor example multiracial adults with a black background have a set of experiences attitudes and social interactions that are much more closely aligned with the black communityA different pattern emerges among multiracial Asian adults biracial white and Asian adults feel more closely connected to whites than to AsiansAmong biracial adults who are white and American Indian the largest group of multiracial adults ties to their Native American heritage are often faint Only 22 percent say they have a lot in common with people in the US who are American Indian whereas 61 percent say they have a lot in common with whitesThe survey found that many multiracial adults like other racial minorities have experienced some type of racial discrimination from racist slurs to physical threats because of their racial backgroundBut the experiences of specific races vary For multiracial adults with a black background experiences with discrimination closely mirror those of singlerace blacksAmong adults who are black and no other race 57 percent say they have received poor service in restaurants or other businesses identical to the share of biracial black and white adults who say this has happened to themAgain 42 percent of singlerace blacks say they have been unfairly stopped by the police as do 41 percent of biracial black and white adultsMixedrace adults with an Asian background are about as likely to report being discriminated against as are singlerace Asians while multiracial adults with a white background are more likely than singlerace whites to say they have experienced racial discriminationA majority of multiracial adults say they are proud of their mixed racial background 60 percent more see their racial background as an advantage than a disadvantage 19 percent vs 4 percent and they overwhelmingly say they have rarely if ever felt ashamed or like an outsider because of their mixed racial backgroundWhile these views are broadly shared by each of the five biggest multiracial groups the large proportion of white and Asian biracial adults who see their racial background as an advantage stands out the survey notedAbout sixinten in this group 58 percent say their racial background has been an advantage to them in life In the other four groups only about oneinfour or fewer say their racial heritage has been as helpfulThis contrast further sharpens when white and Asian biracial Americans are compared with singlerace whites and AsiansAccording to the survey white and Asian biracial Americans are even more likely than singlerace whites 58 percent vs 32 percent respectively or Asians 15 percent to say their racial background has been an advantage