The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) has a study examining the benefits of changes to the Child Tax Credit. I like that Table 1 of the report shows the potential number of children that will benefit from policy changes to the CTC disaggregated by ethnicity, race, and state.
The report states:
The proposal would benefit children of all races and ethnicities. Overall, even in this modest-sized package, more than 1 in 5 children under 17 would benefit from the expansion in the first year. It would particularly help Black, Latino, and AIAN children, whose parents are overrepresented in low-paid jobs due to historical and ongoing discrimination and other structural barriers to opportunity. More than 1 in 3 Black children, more than 1 in 3 Latino children, 3 in 10 AIAN children, and roughly 1 in 7 white children and Asian children under 17 would benefit from the proposal in the first year.[8]
Am I being overly sensitive to question the pairing of Black and Hispanic children and the pairing of white and Asian children? While I understand that the pairing is based on similar outcomes, for me, it raises questions about potential narratives, stereotypes, and tropes being perpetuated.
Am I suggesting that CBPP has malicious intentions? No.
I am suggesting that we must be thoughtful and critical of how we report data and of how others report data. This is especially important during general elections when candidates use data to persuade voters to support their policy proposals.
