Jacobsen, who also advises the census, said the changes in categories were a response to an evolving social perception of race. Without a doubt, she said, it makes matters more complicated. It's a matter of trying to have the numbers serve many different purposes, said June Nogle, a University of Florida demographer. A concept as complicated as racial makeup is not well-served by a single set of numbers, however much they are needed for policy reasons, Nogle said. It wasn't designed to.
Diversity is a moving target.
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