Demographics

• It is estimated that communities that have experienced structural exclusion based on race and ethnicity can represent approximately 339,400 people, or 25% of the city’s total population. There are approximately 79,000 people who are Black or African American, 10,000 people who are American Indian or Alaska Native, 244,000 people who are Asian and 6,400 people who are Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.  In addition, 553,000 people, or 40% of the city’s total population identify as ethnically Hispanic or Latino (2023 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, U.S. Census Bureau).

Know Beforehand

• Be mindful of language used to designate groups and defer to the people in the room to express preferences when referring to their own cultural group. People may have different desires around terms and names. Some examples include:
  • Black or African American
  • Latino/a, Hispanic, Latinx, Latine or other
  • Native American, Indigenous or other
• Where there are opportunities, listen and seek to understand these nuances. Be mindful not to ask about a person’s identities out of context, ask people what they prefer for themselves, and consider using more than one term where people express variances.
• Normalize various ways of being and expressing identity that may differ from dominant cultural patterns and practices. Here are some examples:
  • While the U.S. dominant culture tends to value individualism, many communities of color are more collective in their approach to holding gatherings. Be prepared to utilize techniques that value and support shared voice and collective contributions, such as community mapping or vision walls.
  • Communication styles vary across cultures. Some communities value direct communication and robust discussion, which should be welcomed rather than misunderstood as conflict. Be prepared to value all the different ways people may communicate or engage in challenging conversations.

Challenges and Barriers to Participation

• Community members may remember historical discrimination and feel the impacts of systemic racism and biases. Consequently, they may carry pain and mistrust into their interactions with local government and other institutions.

Outreach

• Actively listen to community members that have experienced structural exclusion due to their race or ethnicity and engage with cultural leaders to understand their unique challenges.
• Identify primary languages of the communities affected by the project and use those languages in communications. Provide language access services in communications.

Engagement

• Value different types of knowledge during engagement processes. Community wisdom, lived experience, cultural knowledge and intergenerational insights should be recognized as equally valid as technical, academic or institutional knowledge.
• Emphasize hospitality and a warm welcome. Communities that have been structurally excluded will benefit from authentically welcoming spaces. There are many ways to create welcome-- music, food, ice breaker activities that build community, kind encounters with facilitators, clarity around the engagement purpose and plans, etc.
• Choose a location that is familiar and accessible. Look for a location that is well-known and commonly frequented by the community. Consider pairing engagement events with existing festivals or other events already planned by the community.

(See also Engaging Members of the LGBTQIA+ Community)

Demographics

• Many women and gender identities outside of cisgender male have experienced structural exclusion because of their sex and/or gender identity. 682,000 people, or 49% of the city’s total population identify as female. Though the U.S. Census does not collect information about gender identity, the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles estimates that approximately 1.5 million, or 5 percent of adults in California identify as LGBT, and nationally, approximately 11 percent of LGBTQ adults identify as gender non-binary.

Know Beforehand

• Defer to the people in the room to express preferences when referring to their sex and gender. People may have different desires around terms.

Challenges and Barriers to Participation

• Women often balance multiple roles such as employment, household management, and caregiving, which can limit their availability to participate in public engagement activities. In addition, economic disparities and lower income levels among women and gender minorities can create barriers to accessing engagement activities.
• Gender-based discrimination and harassment in public spaces can deter women, non-binary people, and other gender minorities from participating in engagement activities.
  • Discrimination experienced by gender minorities can contribute to health disparities (Homan, 2019) and lower income levels (Kochhar, 2023), which can create a barrier to public participation.

Outreach

• Collaborate with organizations that focus on women's rights, non-binary, and other gender minorities to reach a wider community.

Engagement

• Consider using spaces with gender-inclusive facilities and private spaces for nursing or childcare.
• Provide childcare service. Caregiving responsibilities can create barriers to participation, and childcare will support broader participation at engagement events. Consider meaningful options for engaging their children.
• When asking for demographic information, make sure that questions are optional and include an option for respondents to specify their gender identity.

(See also Engaging People Experiencing Homelessness)

Demographics

• The American Community Survey from the U.S. Census Bureau provides income ranges based on the Mean Household Income of Quintiles¹. As of 2022, low capital households are those with an income of $98,969 or less. Approximately 261,000, or 51 percent of households in San Diego have an income of less than $99,999 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022). Households with an annual income of less than $45,000 are forecasted to grow the fastest, with those earning less than $15,000 expected to increase by approximately 11,500, or 39.6% between 2022 and 2050. 

Know Beforehand

• Many low-income communities have experienced historic disinvestment in the form of redlining, which designated communities largely consisting of immigrant and people of color as undesirable (Beal, 2024). Recognizing and acknowledging this history and how it has affected communities is important for building trust.

Challenges and Barriers to Participation

• Time, transportation, childcare and work schedules can be more difficult to coordinate with fewer resources, making public participation less of a priority to those who have been structurally excluded by income.
• Low-income communities often have less access to reliable internet and other modes of engagement through technology.
• While people with lower incomes often demonstrate resilience and innovative solutions to challenges, health disparities disproportionately affect these communities. This may limit access to some community members and may significantly impact awareness and ability to participate.

Outreach

• Use clear and simple language so the public can understand how their input will be used. Follow up to show how feedback has shaped outcomes—this reinforces trust and accountability.
• Utilize multiple communication channels, such as social media, local radio stations, community centers and schools to reach a broad audience.
• Work with community-based organizations that advocate for or serve low-income communities, as they may have their own unique strategies for outreach and knowledge of community sentiment.

Engagement

• Consider additional opportunities for participation incentives, which can be particularly important. Consider asking community members about the kinds of incentives that are most beneficial.
• Community members might differ in their personal capacity to engage with a project, so providing options at different capacities can help them to participate in a way that best suits their needs.
• Similarly, providing engagement opportunities outside of traditional work hours can enhance participation from people who may not be able to take time off to attend engagement events.
• Choose a location that is familiar and accessible. Look for a location that is well-known and commonly frequented by the community. Consider pairing engagement events with existing festivals or other events already planned by the community.

¹ Household income levels are divided into five sections, with the lowest earning fifth of the population falling in the “Lowest Quintile,” and the highest earning fifth of the population falling in the “Highest Quintile” with the populations in between divided among the “Second, Third and Fourth Quintiles.”

Beal, S. (2024). Redlining in San Diego. Local Initiatives Support Coalition. https://www.lisc.org/san-diego/initiatives/affordable-housing-loans/advocacy/redlining-san-diego/ 

Homan, P. (2019). Structural Sexism and Health in the United States: A New Perspective on Health Inequality and the Gender System. American Sociological Review, 84(3), 486-516. https://doi.org/10.1177/0003122419848723 

Kochhar, R. (2023). The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2023/03/01/the-enduring-grip-of-the-gender-pay-gap/

SANDAG (2025) Series 15 Regional Forecast, City of San Diego. https://adlsdasadsprodpublicwest.z22.web.core.windows.net/datasurfer/sandag_forecast_15_jurisdiction_san%20diego.pdf

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Williams Institute (2023). Adult LGBT Population in the United States. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/adult-lgbt-pop-us/ 

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law, Williams Institute (2021). Nonbinary LGBTQ Adults in the United States. https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/publications/nonbinary-lgbtq-adults-us/