What variable(s) should I use for race and ethnicity?
The only race/ethnicity variable that is available in the Public Use File (PUF) or single-year NSDUH data in the Data Analysis System (DAS) is NEWRACE2, which includes the following racial/ethnic categories:
- Non-Hispanic White
- Non-Hispanic Black or African American
- Non-Hispanic Native American or Alaska Native
- Non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
- Non-Hispanic Asian
- Non-Hispanic more than one race
- Hispanic
With the multi-year files in DAS, there are 5 other available variables. These can be recoded to collapse categories if desired. The table below lists these variables:
| Variable | Hispanic ethnicity information included | Asian subgroups included | Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders separate categories |
| EXPRACE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EXPRACE2 | Yes | Yes | No |
| IRNWRACE | No | Yes | Yes |
| NEWRACE1 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| RACE4 | Yes | No | No |
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