How to Measure Race and Ethnicity

Abstract

‘Ethnicity’ is not a permanent topic in the survey research of the majority of Western and Middle European countries. The exceptions to this rule are those countries where the population is divided into big ethnic groups, for example, Belgium, or those countries pursuing an active anti-discrimination policy, for example the USA. In national surveys of countries where ‘ethnicity’ is not a permanent topic, this variable is not asked on a regular basis. Also in countries with big immigration groups, such as the Federal Republic of Germany, ‘ethnicity’ is not regularly assessed in national surveys. The exceptions are topic related surveys where respondents are differentiated according to ‘ethnicity’, for example surveys on social inequality or election studies.