Final answer:
The 15 percent of the population referred to in The Two or More Races Population: 2000 report identified as having German ancestry. This statistic sheds light on the racial and ethnic diversity within the United States, where individuals have the opportunity for self-identification of their mixed racial backgrounds on census forms.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to The Two or More Races Population: 2000, 15 percent of the population considered themselves to be of German ancestry. This information highlights the diversity in the United States as people may identify with multiple races or ethnicities. In the context of the census, individuals can report more than one race, acknowledging their mixed racial background, which may include various combinations such as "American Indian" and "White". This practice reflects a social definition of race in the country that accommodates racial and national origin or sociocultural groups.
The concept of race has evolved over time, with policies in the past like the "one drop" rule which enforced a strict view of racial identity. However, the modern approach allows for greater self-identification, giving individuals like Tiger Woods, who refers to himself as Cablinasian, a way to represent their diverse ancestries even though they might be categorized differently by societal perceptions.