Product Experience
Race-Ethnicity Survey Questions: Definition, Approaches and Best Practices

Article written by Parvathi Vijayamohan
Content marketer at SurveySparrow.
11 min read
19 May 2025

60 Seconds Summary:
Learn about the race and ethnicity survey questions, this blog acts as a guide on creating inclusive and effective demographic inquiries. You'll know about importance of understanding the distinction between race—often based on physical characteristics—and ethnicity, which encompasses cultural factors like nationality, language, and traditions. The blog provides various approaches to asking these questions, including conversational, open-ended, and combined formats, to ensure respondents feel comfortable and accurately represented.
Best practices are highlighted which includes using inclusive language, making questions optional, and offering "Prefer not to answer" options to respect respondent preferences. Additionally, the blog discusses the advantages of collecting this data, such as fostering diversity and inclusion, while also acknowledging potential challenges like privacy concerns and the risk of misinterpretation. Read on to find a template and create a more inclusive, effective survey!
Race is a loaded topic at the best of times. So, asking race-ethnicity survey questions, especially in 2025, can make even seasoned researchers double-check every word.
So, how do you include racial survey questions in a way that most people will feel comfortable answering? This comprehensive guide walks you through proven approaches to craft respectful, effective race-ethnicity questions that yield valuable insights while maintaining respondent’s feeling inclusive.
Here’s what we’ll look at:
- Race vs. Ethnicity
- What are Race & Ethnicity Survey Questions?
- Where to Use Race-Ethnicity Survey Questions
- Asking Race and Ethnicity Questions in a Survey : Examples & Approaches
- Advantages of Race-Ethnicity Surveys Questions
- Limitations of Race-Ethnicity Questions on Surveys?
- Best Practices for Asking Race-Ethnicity Survey Questions: A Checklist
Oh, and, if you're in search of a free race-ethnicity survey template, here's one you can try! Sign up with your email, access the survey below, customize it, and make it yours. It's that simple!
Race & Ethnicity Survey Template
Use This TemplateRace vs. Ethnicity
So, what's the difference between race and ethnicity? This foundational distinction shapes how you'll approach these survey questions.
Race: Physical Characteristics and Social Constructs
"Race" is typically associated with physical characteristics – a social construct that groups people based on traits like:
Skin color
Hair texture
Facial features
Other visible physical attributes
It's important to recognize that while race is often treated as a biological category, it's primarily a social and political construct with boundaries that have shifted throughout history. Race provides a broad, general way of categorizing humans, but it doesn't tell the whole story.
Ethnicity: Cultural Heritage and Identity
"Ethnicity," on the other hand, dives deeper into cultural connections. It encompasses factors such as:
Nationality and geographic origins
Language and linguistic traditions
Religious practices and beliefs
Cultural customs and shared traditions
Family history and ancestry
Your ethnicity can provide a sense of community and belonging, as it's tied to shared cultural heritage that may evolve over generations.
The key difference: While race might group people based on how they look, ethnicity connects through cultural narratives and shared experiences. Both play significant roles in identity formation, but they offer different perspectives on who we are and where we come from.
What are Race & Ethnicity Survey Questions?
Let’s start by defining race and ethnicity. Paraphrasing from this blog: race refers to physical traits, like hair type, eye color, and skin color.
On the other hand, ethnicity refers to cultural traits, like nationality, religion, language, and customs. So a person’s race is physical and unchangeable, while their ethnicity is cultural and changeable.
Compared to race, ethnicity is also a lot more complex. For example, an Indian-born woman can call herself Asian, but that does not describe her ethnicity. She could be of South Indian, Indo-American, British Indian, or any other ethnicity.
So to get a better picture, race-ethnicity questions on surveys are often paired together. They belong to the demographic family of questions designed to get information on a respondent’s background.
A recommended approach is the method laid down by the FDA: a two-question format for requesting race and ethnicity data, with the ethnicity question followed by the question about race. Here’s an example:
- What would you describe yourself as? (followed by categories)
- Which of the racial designations below best describe you? You can choose all that apply.
Now, conducting a survey might seem like a hassle. Yes, I get you. Perhaps you should try using SurveySparrow's AI survey builder. With just a short prompt and a quick click of a button, the builder will craft an engaging survey within seconds.
Remove the questions that don't fit the bill, add new ones from the list below, or edit the existing ones with the AI Wing. And, it's free. Why don't you try creating one right now?

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Where to Use Race-Ethnicity Survey Questions
A reliable rule of thumb is to ask yourself:
1. “Is this relevant for me?”
2. “Why do I need this information?”
For example, suppose you’re a product manager for an online feedback software. You want to find out customer reactions to a recent software update. It doesn’t matter if the customer’s ethnicity is Puerto Rican or British Caucasian. If they hated it, they hated it.
But if you are the Head of Culture for that software company, this information might help you understand the current level of diversity and inclusion within the company and what needs to change.
Moreover, race and ethnicity are not dependent on each other. But for many people, race and ethnicity are central to their identity and can affect their opinion on a lot of topics, from their shared experiences to political views. So demographic research, social science studies, and academic research are some types of research that are ideal for race and ethnicity surveys.
For example, Pew Research Center’s report, Race in America 2019, found that for roughly three-quarters of black, Hispanic, and Asian adults, being black, Hispanic, or Asian was extremely important to how they think of themselves.
This data allows the researcher to compare responses across categories and understand the role of race and ethnicity in a respondent’s answer.
So, despite race’s sensitive nature, race-ethnicity survey questions can help lay the groundwork for more inclusive and respectful systems within an organization. But, of course, it depends on how you approach it.
Related: The 14 Best Survey Questions on Inclusion and Diversity
Asking Race and Ethnicity Questions in a Survey: Examples & Approaches
Now comes a crucial question: How to ask race and ethnicity questions in a survey.
Aside from the FDA’s approach, there are other ways to ask race and ethnicity survey questions comfortably. We’ll talk about three of them here by elucidating with examples:
Approach 1: The “Getting to Know You” Approach
Start your survey with a conversational tone. Craft your questions around getting to know the respondent better. Here is a sample survey design:
- What’s your name?
- Nice to meet you, Parvathi! We would love to know the hidden meaning behind your name.
- Interesting! What’s your nationality?
And so on.
Approach 2: The “Fill in the Blank” Approach
Another approach is to leave a blank option – an open-ended question where participants can describe their identities in their own words.
With text questions in SurveySparrow Classic forms, you can enable more descriptive answers with voice transcription.
For eg., something like this:
Tell us about yourself.
or this:
You can be as diplomatic as you want with this. For example, if you were a beauty brand creating an inclusive range of concealer, instead of point-blank asking about race/ethnicity, you might ask, “How would you describe your skin color?”
However, asking indirectly like this runs the risk that you might not get the data you need. This takes us to…
Approach 3: The Combined Question Approach
Furthermore, you can also combine survey ethnicity questions into a single, one-page question. Here’s an example:
Question: What would you consider yourself as? (followed by a list of racial-ethnic categories).
- White (followed by categories)
- Asian (followed by categories)
- Black (followed by categories that apply: African American, Afro-Caribbean, Black British, etc. )
- Any other racial-ethnic group
- Mixed/multiple ethnic groups
You can use a Set of Sample Race and Ethnicity Survey Questions in a survey.
- Race Identification (Select one or more):
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- White
- Another race not listed here (please specify): ___________
- Ethnicity:
- Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
- Yes
- No
- Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
- Additional Ethnic Background (Optional):
- If you would like, please specify your ethnic background or origins (e.g., German, Lebanese, Colombian, etc.): ___________
- Cultural Identification:
- In addition to race and ethnicity, are there any other cultural identities that you feel are significant to you? (Optional): ___________
- Race/Ethnicity Representation:
- Do you feel your race/ethnicity is adequately represented in our organization/community?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure
- Do you feel your race/ethnicity is adequately represented in our organization/community?
- Impact of Race/Ethnicity on Experience:
- Do you believe your race/ethnicity affects your experiences here? If so, how? (Optional): ___________
- Support and Inclusion:
- How can we better support and include diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds in our organization/community? (Optional): ___________

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Advantages of Race-Ethnicity Surveys Questions
So, here are the advantages of asking racial and ethnic-related questions on surveys, Here you go:
- Inclusion and Representation: Race and ethnicity questions ensure diverse voices are heard and represented in surveys.
- Addressing Disparities: Collecting this data helps identify and tackle inequities in healthcare, education, and other areas.
- Targeted Programs: The data allows organizations to tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of different racial and ethnic groups.
- Progress Monitoring: Tracking changes in data over time helps measure progress in diversity and equality efforts.
- Research Insights: Race and ethnicity data provide valuable insights for studying health disparities, cultural influences, and discrimination.
Limitations of Race-Ethnicity Questions on Surveys
Following are the limitations that we might come across while asking racial and & ethnical questions on surveys.
- Self-Identification: Predefined categories may not capture the complexities of individual identities.
- Subjectivity: Responses can be influenced by personal interpretation and societal pressures.
- Limited Options: The provided options may not cover the full range of ethnic backgrounds or identities.
- Ambiguity and Overgeneralization: Broad categories may oversimplify diversity within groups.
- Ethical Considerations: Privacy, stereotyping, and discrimination concerns must be addressed.
- Intersectionality: Race and ethnicity intersect with other identity dimensions, which should be considered.
Best Practices for Asking Race-Ethnicity Survey Questions: A Checklist
#1. Follow the rule of thumb given above.
Use the race-ethnicity survey question only if you plan to do something meaningful with the data.
#2. Tell users the ‘why’ and ‘how.’
For the racial survey questions & ethnicity survey questions, include a brief explanation about why the data is being collected, how it will be used, and how it will be protected.
#3. Stick with checkboxes for the answer options, and enable multi-select.
Avoid radio buttons as they will force respondents to choose just one option. That option might not accurately represent who they are and will create some resentment.
#4. Make your survey more inclusive with ‘Other.’
While ‘othering’ has a negative meaning, you can use this answer option in a survey to make it more inclusive. You can also change the answer wording into “Not included”/”Not listed.”
A multi-racial/multi-ethnic respondent might choose ‘Other’ if their race/ethnicity isn’t included. In that case, use display logic (if you’re using SurveySparrow) and follow up with a text question so that they can self-describe their ethnicity.
#5. Only use racial/ethnic categories that apply to your target audience.
A little bit of desk research on the dominant ethnic groups in your target location can help you identify the initial categories. Then, as you gather more data from your survey, you can update and refine these categories to be more inclusive.
#6. Make all race and ethnicity questions optional.
Since race and ethnicity are markers of identity, respondents should have the option to opt-out of answering these questions.
Wrapping Up
The way you ask about race and ethnicity in your surveys directly impacts both response quality and respondent experience. By implementing the approaches and best practices we've covered, you'll create surveys that respect individual identities while gathering valuable demographic insights.
If you’re looking for additional reading on this topic, do check out this brilliant blog on survey design for race-ethnicity questions.
Remember these key takeaways:
Always have a clear purpose for collecting race-ethnicity data
Choose the right approach based on your specific audience and research goals
Make questions optional and provide inclusive response options
Be transparent about how the information will be used
Ready to create more inclusive, effective surveys? Start with our free template and customize it to your specific needs.
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Parvathi Vijayamohan
Parvathi is a sociologist turned marketer. After 6 years as a copywriter, she pivoted to B2B, diving into growth marketing for SaaS. Now she uses content and conversion optimization to fuel growth - focusing on CX, reputation management and feedback methodology for businesses.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Race refers to physical characteristics like skin color and facial features, often categorized broadly. Ethnicity encompasses cultural factors such as nationality, language, religion, and traditions. While race is typically seen as a biological trait, ethnicity is more about cultural identity and can change over time.
Collecting this data helps in understanding diverse perspectives, ensuring inclusivity, and making informed decisions in areas like marketing, hiring, and policy-making. It can also aid in compliance with legal requirements and support diversity initiatives.
- Be transparent: Explain why you're collecting this information and how it will be used.
- Make questions optional: Allow respondents to skip these questions if they choose.
- Use inclusive language: Offer a range of options and include an "Other" or "Prefer not to answer" choice.
- Use checkboxes: Allow multiple selections to accommodate multiracial or multiethnic identities.
- Provide context: If possible, offer examples or definitions to clarify categories.
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