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An Internet Survey as of March, 2002 n=389
| Race is a social construction, consequently so is whiteness. Nevertheless, our opinion about who is color and who is white can impact how we relate to each other.
We make judgments not only about who is white BUT also about what countries are white (or predominantly white). When a person who is not considered white is a citizen of a country that is considered white that person and their family are often seen as perpetual foreigners. For instance, even though many Japanese Americans have been in this country much longer than many European American families - they never the less are seen as outsiders. For relevant articles see, Racial Prerequisite Cases or White by Law.
Summary of Results
There was 389 respondents to the survey. Of the respondents, 57.5% were less than 26 years old; 45.9% were European American; 56.1% were female; and, 91.6% were from the United States. Respondents were from every state with the highest percentage from California (10.7%).
Kenyans (92%) received the highest percentage of respondents who said Kenyans were not white and British (6.7%) received the lowest percentage.
Similarly, British (90.3%) received the highest percentage of respondents who said that British were white and Nigerians (2.6%) received the lowest percentage.
Interestingly, there was not a high degree of uncertainty or ambiguity, the highest percentage of respondents who marked unsure was with Congolese (23.8%) and the lowest percentage was with Japanese and Dutch (2.6%respectively).
|
| |
|
| Alphabetical Listing |
| |
No |
Unsure |
Yes |
|
Albanian
|
33.7
|
15.9
|
50.4
|
|
Algerians
|
71.5
|
14.8
|
13.7
|
|
American Indian
|
87.0
|
3.4
|
9.6
|
|
Arabs
|
84.5
|
6.2
|
9.3
|
|
Belgians
|
16.2
|
7.8
|
76.0
|
|
British
|
6.7
|
3.1
|
90.3
|
|
Canadian
|
9.3
|
10.3
|
80.4
|
|
Chileans
|
73.8
|
10.6
|
15.6
|
|
Congolese
|
71.2
|
23.8
|
5.0
|
|
Cubans
|
82.2
|
8.8
|
9.0
|
|
Czechoslovak
|
20.8
|
7.2
|
72.0
|
|
Dutch
|
8.4
|
2.6
|
89.0
|
|
Egyptians
|
81.6
|
5.4
|
13.0
|
|
German
|
8.0
|
1.8
|
90.2
|
|
Iranians
|
78.1
|
7.4
|
14.5
|
|
|
| |
No |
Unsure |
Yes |
|
Israelis
|
58.5
|
8.0
|
33.4
|
|
Italians
|
31.8
|
4.1
|
64.1
|
|
Japanese
|
89.0
|
2.6
|
8.5
|
|
Kenyans
|
92.0
|
4.9
|
3.1
|
|
Latvian
|
35.3
|
20.8
|
43.9
|
|
Moroccans
|
78.4
|
12.9
|
8.7
|
|
Nigerians
|
90.8
|
6.6
|
2.6
|
|
Polish
|
10.8
|
3.1
|
86.1
|
|
Puerto Rican
|
85.6
|
7.5
|
7.0
|
|
Romanian
|
23.7
|
9.4
|
66.9
|
|
Russian
|
14.0
|
3.1
|
82.9
|
|
Spaniards
|
53.8
|
6.2
|
40.0
|
|
Swedes
|
9.0
|
3.3
|
87.7
|
|
Ukranians
|
21.5
|
8.3
|
70.2
|
|
Vietnamese
|
89.9
|
3.6
|
6.4
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent who marked "No about Whiteness
|
|
Kenyans
|
92.0
|
|
Nigerians
|
90.8
|
|
Vietnamese
|
89.9
|
|
Japanese
|
89.0
|
|
American Indian
|
87.0
|
|
Puerto Rican
|
85.6
|
|
Arabs
|
84.5
|
|
Cubans
|
82.2
|
|
Egyptians
|
81.6
|
|
Moroccans
|
78.4
|
|
Iranians
|
78.1
|
|
Chileans
|
73.8
|
|
Algerians
|
71.5
|
|
Congolese
|
71.2
|
|
Israelis
|
58.5
|
|
Spaniards
|
53.8
|
|
Latvian
|
35.3
|
|
Albanian
|
33.7
|
|
Italians
|
31.8
|
|
Romanian
|
23.7
|
|
Ukranians
|
21.5
|
|
Czechoslovak
|
20.8
|
|
Belgians
|
16.2
|
|
Russian
|
14.0
|
|
Polish
|
10.8
|
|
Canadian
|
9.3
|
|
Swedes
|
9.0
|
|
Dutch
|
8.4
|
|
German
|
8.0
|
|
British
|
6.7
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent who marked "Unsure" about Whiteness
|
|
Congolese
|
23.8
|
|
Latvian
|
20.8
|
|
Albanian
|
15.9
|
|
Algerians
|
14.8
|
|
Moroccans
|
12.9
|
|
Chileans
|
10.6
|
|
Canadian
|
10.3
|
|
Romanian
|
9.4
|
|
Cubans
|
8.8
|
|
Ukranians
|
8.3
|
|
Israelis
|
8.0
|
|
Belgians
|
7.8
|
|
Puerto Rican
|
7.5
|
|
Iranians
|
7.4
|
|
Czechoslovak
|
7.2
|
|
Nigerians
|
6.6
|
|
Arabs
|
6.2
|
|
Spaniards
|
6.2
|
|
Egyptians
|
5.4
|
|
Kenyans
|
4.9
|
|
Italians
|
4.1
|
|
Vietnamese
|
3.6
|
|
American Indian
|
3.4
|
|
Swedes
|
3.3
|
|
British
|
3.1
|
|
Polish
|
3.1
|
|
Russian
|
3.1
|
|
Dutch
|
2.6
|
|
Japanese
|
2.6
|
|
|
| |
|
Percent who marked "Yes" about whiteness
|
|
British
|
90.3
|
|
German
|
90.2
|
|
Dutch
|
89.0
|
|
Swedes
|
87.7
|
|
Polish
|
86.1
|
|
Russian
|
82.9
|
|
Canadian
|
80.4
|
|
Belgians
|
76.0
|
|
Czechoslovak
|
72.0
|
|
Ukranians
|
70.2
|
|
Romanian
|
66.9
|
|
Italians
|
64.1
|
|
Albanian
|
50.4
|
|
Latvian
|
43.9
|
|
Spaniards
|
40.0
|
|
Israelis
|
33.4
|
|
Chileans
|
15.6
|
|
Iranians
|
14.5
|
|
Algerians
|
13.7
|
|
Egyptians
|
13.0
|
|
American Indian
|
9.6
|
|
Arabs
|
9.3
|
|
Cubans
|
9.0
|
|
Moroccans
|
8.7
|
|
Japanese
|
8.5
|
|
Puerto Rican
|
7.0
|
|
Vietnamese
|
6.4
|
|
Congolese
|
5.0
|
|
Kenyans
|
3.1
|
|
Nigerians
|
2.6
|
|
|
|
Age
|
Under 15
|
7.1
|
|
15 - 20
|
34.4
|
|
21 - 25
|
16.4
|
|
26 - 30
|
10.8
|
|
31 - 34
|
4.8
|
|
35 - 40
|
7.1
|
|
41 - 45
|
4.8
|
|
46 - 50
|
5.0
|
|
51 - 55
|
6.3
|
|
56 - 60
|
1.6
|
|
61 - 65
|
.3
|
|
older than 65
|
1.3
|
|
|
Ethnic/Racial Identity
|
African/Black American
|
24.2
|
|
American Indian/ Native American
|
3.3
|
|
Asian Pacific American
|
3.0
|
|
Biracial American
|
5.4
|
|
European/ White American
|
45.9
|
|
Hispanic/Latino(a) American
|
7.6
|
|
International/Non-American
|
2.4
|
|
Other
|
8.2
|
|
|
|
Gender
|
Country
|
n=356 United States
|
|
| n=11 Canada |
n=5 United Kingdom |
| n=2 Albania China |
n=1 Algeria Argentina Brazil Chile Gabon Germany Iceland Norway Poland Samoa Taiwan Turkey Uganda |
|
|
States
| |
Frequency
|
|
Alabama
|
7
|
|
Alaska
|
2
|
|
Arizona
|
6
|
|
Arkansas
|
2
|
|
California
|
42
|
|
Colorado
|
5
|
|
Connecticut
|
1
|
|
Delaware
|
3
|
|
Florida
|
6
|
|
Georgia
|
13
|
|
Idaho
|
3
|
|
Illinois
|
18
|
|
Indiana
|
11
|
|
Kansas
|
1
|
|
Kentucky
|
1
|
|
Louisiana
|
4
|
|
Maine
|
1
|
|
Maryland
|
11
|
|
Massachusetts
|
2
|
|
Michigan
|
13
|
|
Minnesota
|
2
|
|
Missouri
|
6
|
|
Nebraska
|
1
|
|
Nevada
|
2
|
|
New Hampshire
|
2
|
|
New Jersey
|
9
|
|
New Mexico
|
1
|
|
New York
|
18
|
|
North Carolina
|
4
|
|
North Dakota
|
3
|
|
Ohio
|
21
|
|
Oklahoma
|
3
|
|
Oregon
|
3
|
|
Pennsylvania
|
14
|
|
South Carolina
|
6
|
|
South Dakota
|
1
|
|
Tennessee
|
1
|
|
Texas
|
7
|
|
Utah
|
2
|
|
Vermont
|
1
|
|
Virginia
|
10
|
|
Washington
|
16
|
|
West Virginia
|
1
|
|
Wisconsin
|
6
|
|
