2025/11/01 by Maria Abascal, Amada Armenta, W. M. Halm · 1 voice · 1 citation
Psychology · Social Sciences · #Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior #Names, Identity, and Discrimination Research #Racial and Ethnic Identity Research
paper · doi:10.1177/23780231251389022
openalex publication_date 2025/11/01 · openalex created_date 2025/11/29 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
Use of the term people of color has grown. What factors do Americans weigh to classify others as people of color (PoC)? An original, preregistered conjoint experiment with two samples reveals that ancestry is the strongest predictor of classification as PoC. Self-identified race/ethnicity and phenotype also matter, though not as strongly. The results also refute the notion that all non-White Americans count equally as PoC: profiles with Black parents are most likely to be classified as PoC, and those with Asian parents are least likely. Classification works similarly across respondents of different ethnoracial backgrounds, with one exception: Asian American respondents are equally likely to classify profiles with Black, Asian, Latino and Middle Eastern or North African parents as PoC. The results indicate a general consensus around who counts as a “person of color.”