Wednesday, April 16, 2014

The New Us: Portrait of a Changing America

The Atlantic Magazine recently reviewed a new report by PEW Research which provides a portrait of some very significant demographic and cultural shifts in the United States. The report is filled with fascinating details about who we are as Americans, what we believe, and how both of those things have changed over the last several decades.

As they point out, "Demographic transformations are dramas in slow motion. America is in the midst of two right now. Our population is becoming majority non-white at the same time a record share is going gray. Each of these shifts would by itself be the defining demographic story of its era. The fact that both are unfolding simultaneously has generated big generation gaps that will put stress on our politics, families, pocketbooks, entitlement programs and social cohesion."

Here's is one of their graphics about minority population changes in the past 50 years, as well as its projected growth for the next fifty.


 To see how Utica and Rome minority populations have changed since 1980, visit this blog's MAPS page ! The minority population maps are near the bottom.