Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for May 24, 2017

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

May 24, 2017: One out of every six newlyweds—17 percent—now marries someone of a different race or ethnicity. That’s a dramatic increase from 3 percent half a century ago.

In 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a Virginia law banning interracial marriage. The Loving v. Virginia ruling effectively legalized interracial marriage throughout the country.

The Loving v. Virginia ruling effectively legalized interracial marriage.

Overall, considering all married couples rather than just newlyweds, roughly 10 percent are married to someone of a different racial or ethnic background. According to a Pew Center report based upon an analysis of Census Bureau data, “The most common racial or ethnic pairing among newlywed intermarried couples is one Hispanic and one white spouse (42%). Next most common are one white and one Asian spouse (15%) and one white and one multiracial spouse (12%).”

Twenty-nine percent of Asians marry across racial or ethnic lines, as do 27 percent of Hispanic newlyweds. Among Asian newlyweds born in the U.S., 46 percent have a spouse of a different race or ethnicity.[1]



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