This study used data from the 1990 U.S. Census, selecting families with children under 15 years of age and living with both biological parents—one of which is Asian and the other is non-Asian. The racial category that parents placed their biracial children into is compared on a number of variables.

     On a whole 38.8% of the biracial children were identified as Asians. The results showed that first and third-generation children were more likely to be categorized as Asian than second-generation children. Children were also much more likely to be identified as Asian if their father was Asian. There is also a pattern for more Asian identification the higher the parent’s education level. This goes against the assimilation theory, which would assume the more educated are also more Americanized. The race of the non-Asian parent also has an impact on the racial identity that parents give their children. Races other then white were less likely to categorize their children as Asian. These children are held back from an ability to assimilate by social standards which hold restrictions on various minority groups. Finally, the level of racial association as Asian increases as the area that the family lives in contains more Asians. Interaction effects are also mentioned between the Asian parent’s education and the child’s generation level and between the generation level and the degree of Asian concentration in an area of living.

     The results are interpreted to mean that for the most part biracial children with one Asian and one non-Asian parent have freedom in their choice of racial identification. It is important to remember that for this study the racial identification of the children was chosen by the parents and not the children. This means that the children may have a different perception of their own racial identification.