New Software Tool Helps Researchers Handle Multiracial Demographic Data

CATAcode allows researchers to better represent diverse identities in their studies

Published on Feb. 10, 2026

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Gabriel "Joey" Merrin, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has developed a new software tool called CATAcode that helps researchers across the social sciences handle demographic data more thoughtfully. The tool addresses the problem of how to represent respondents who select multiple options for race, gender identity, or other characteristics on surveys. CATAcode provides systematic approaches for exploring identity combinations and documenting decision-making about grouping participants.

Why it matters

When demographic data oversimplifies or erases certain groups, the policies and programs built on that research may fail to address their needs. CATAcode supports greater transparency, reproducibility, generalizability and equity of social science research, ensuring that when people check multiple boxes, their full identities remain visible in the work that shapes our understanding of communities.

The details

CATAcode is an R package that works with both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, and with any survey items that allow multiple responses. In a dataset of more than 8,000 high school students, CATAcode identified 85 distinct racial combinations, arguing against oversimplification. Researchers can also use CATAcode to prioritize underrepresented groups to keep them visible in analyses.

  • CATAcode was developed in 2026.
  • The accompanying tutorial paper was published in Advances in Methods and Practices in Psychological Science in 2026.

The players

Gabriel "Joey" Merrin

An assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Human Development and Family Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who developed CATAcode.

University of Minnesota

One of the collaborating institutions on the development of CATAcode.

Yale University

One of the collaborating institutions on the development of CATAcode.

Boston University

One of the collaborating institutions on the development of CATAcode.

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

One of the collaborating institutions on the development of CATAcode, and Merrin's home institution.

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What they’re saying

“That act of being forced to choose, to erase parts of myself from an official document, is at the core of this work.”

— Gabriel "Joey" Merrin, Assistant Professor (Mirage News)

“When we lump everyone together like that, we lose the ability to understand their unique experiences, and we make entire communities statistically invisible.”

— Gabriel "Joey" Merrin, Assistant Professor (Mirage News)

“We hope this tool sparks a movement toward more transparent and equitable representations of study participants' identities. The decisions researchers make about how to categorize people have real consequences for policy and resource allocation.”

— Gabriel "Joey" Merrin, Assistant Professor (Mirage News)

What’s next

CATAcode is now publicly available for researchers to download and use.

The takeaway

CATAcode provides a systematic approach to handling multiracial and multiidentity demographic data, helping to ensure that diverse identities remain visible in social science research and the policies and programs that are informed by that research.