The federal government is working to disaggregate data on Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders. Additionally, outdated language has been removed from the guidelines.
For the first time since 1997, the Office of Management and Budget has revised Statistical Policy Directive No. 15, which sets guidelines for how federal agencies should collect, maintain, and report data on race and ethnicity. However, there is no requirement for government agencies to collect such data.
OMB has made several changes to SPD-15, including adding Middle East or North Africa (MENA) as a minimum reporting category. References such as “Orient”, “Far East”, and “Indian subcontinent” have also been removed. The AANHPI organization welcomes these changes.
“These terms are not only inaccurate, but they have contributed to the narrative that Asian Americans are permanent aliens in the United States,” Asian American Children and Families Coalition (CACF) said in a press release. stated in a release.
Under the new guidelines, agencies that collect data on race and ethnicity will be required to go beyond the minimum categories. For example, respondents are provided with the following additional categories that correspond to the minimum category “Asian.”
- Chinese
- asian indian
- Filipino
- Vietnamese
- Korean
- with Japanese people,
- Another group (Pakistani, Hmong, Afghan, etc.)
In addition to “Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander,” the following categories are offered:
- native hawaiian
- Samoan
- Chamorro
- Tongan
- Fijian
- Marshallese
- Another group (such as Chuukese, Palauans, Tahitians, etc.)
The AANHPI organization has praised the new guidelines, but has also expressed skepticism about their implementation.
“SEARAC is working to increase the visibility of Southeast Asian communities, including identifying Vietnamese as one of the communities detailed in data collection and including the Hmong as an example of another group within the Asian racial category. We commend OMB and the Administration for this revision, which represents progress,” said SEARAC Executive Director Quyen Dinh.
“However, we are disappointed that this regulation does not go further to require additional collection of Cambodian, Laotian, Mien, and many other Southeast Asian ethnic data through a write-in option as the default standard. We are also concerned about the option for government agencies to opt out of detailed race and ethnicity data collection requirements, which would lump all Asian ethnicity data into one category. SEARAC and our partners are committed to working with the federal government to ensure our nation exceeds these minimum requirements and gives visibility to the long-standing needs of our communities.”
CACF also said it was concerned about the agency’s focus on collecting data on the largest ethnic groups rather than smaller ethnic groups.
SPD 15 states that “unless the agency determines that the potential benefits of detailed data do not justify the additional burden to the agency and the public, or the additional risks to privacy or confidentiality, and therefore requests a waiver, Requires the collection of data that exceeds the minimum category of “Oira.” ” It is unclear how authorities will determine whether there are sufficient benefits to justify an “additional burden.”
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