What Are The Implications Of The Changing Demographics Of The Us Population

As the U.S. population becomes more racially and ethnically diverse, Americans have mixed views about how the country might change when blacks, Hispanics, Asians and other minorities brand up a majority of the population. While more than say this change volition be good for the country than say it will be bad, the predominant view is that it will be neither.

At the same time, when asked nigh projections by the U.South. Census Bureau that a majority of the U.S. population will be nonwhite past the year 2050, virtually one-half of Americans say this shift volition pb to more conflicts between racial and ethnic groups. And most four-in-x predict that a bulk nonwhite population volition weaken American customs and values, larger than the shares who say it volition strengthen them (thirty%) or volition not take much of an impact (31%).

Opinions about the growth in interracial matrimony are, on residue, positive or neutral. Virtually half say more people of different races marrying each other than in the past is a somewhat or very good thing for the state, while near 1-in-ten say it's a somewhat or very bad thing, and four-in-ten see this as neither expert nor bad. On this question, as well as the questions about the impact of having a majority nonwhite population, Democrats and those who lean Autonomous limited far more positive views than Republicans and Republican leaners.

The survey too asked about trends related to marriage and divorce. About half of Americans (53%) predict that in 30 years people volition be less likely to get married than they are now; simply 7% say people volition be more probable to get married, and 39% say people will be about as likely to ally. Near 6-in-ten expect the divorce rate to remain near the aforementioned, but 29% say people who are married will be more likely to get divorced than people are now; 12% say married people volition be less likely to divorce.

Americans have a more than negative view of some other demographic tendency: the aging of the U.S. population. Co-ordinate to the U.S. Census Bureau, by the year 2050, people who are 65 and older will outnumber those younger than 18, and 56% of Americans say this volition accept a negative impact on the land.

Americans are divided on the overall bear upon of having a majority nonwhite population

Co-ordinate to the U.S. Demography Bureau, blacks, Asians, Hispanics and other racial minorities will make up a majority of the population past the twelvemonth 2050. When asked about the affect this change volition have on the country, most a tertiary of adults say this will be either very (17%) or somewhat (18%) practiced, nigh a quarter say information technology will be very (15%) or somewhat (viii%) bad, and 42% say this change will be neither good nor bad.

Nonwhites are well-nigh twice as likely as whites to say having a bulk nonwhite population will be good for the country: 51% of all nonwhite adults – including 53% of blacks and 55% of Hispanics – say this, compared with 26% of whites. Near three-in-ten whites (28%) say this change will be bad for the country, while 46% say information technology will be neither good nor bad.

Views too differ by age. Immature adults are more probable than their older counterparts to say a shift toward a majority nonwhite population will benefit the land: l% of adults younger than thirty hold this view, compared with 36% of those ages thirty to 49, 29% of those 50 to 64, and a quarter of adults ages 65 and older. These differences reflect, in part, the fact that the younger group is more racially and ethnically diverse than the older groups. Historic period differences in views of this projected demographic change are more modest among whites.

Views most the impact of having a majority nonwhite population also vary considerably by political party. Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, half say this change will have a positive bear on on the state, while 37% say information technology will be neither positive nor negative, and just 12% say it volition have a negative impact. By contrast, a larger share of Republicans and Republican leaners say this will be bad for the land (37%) than say it will exist skillful (xvi%), while 47% say it volition exist neither good nor bad. These partisan differences hold up even after accounting for respondents' race and ethnicity.

About half of Americans say having a majority nonwhite population will lead to more racial and ethnic conflicts

While most Americans say a majority nonwhite population will have a positive or neutral impact on the country, more say this shift will pb to more conflicts between racial and ethnic groups (49%) than say it will lead to fewer conflicts (26%). And more say this will weaken American community and values (38%) than say it volition strengthen them (xxx%).

Consistent with their more than negative assessments of the overall impact of this demographic change, whites are more likely than nonwhites to say having a majority nonwhite population will lead to more racial and ethnic conflicts (53% vs. 43%) and that it will weaken American customs and values (46% vs. 24%).

Among Republicans, about half-dozen-in-ten say having a bulk nonwhite population will lead to more than conflicts betwixt racial and ethnic groups and that it will weaken American customs and values (59% say each will happen). Democrats are more divided in these assessments. About four-in-ten Democrats (42%) say this volition lead to more racial and ethnic conflicts, 36% say it will pb to fewer conflicts and 22% say it won't have much of an bear upon. And while 42% of Democrats say having a majority nonwhite population will strengthen American customs and values, sizable shares say it will weaken them (22%) or non have much of an touch on (33%).

Many see the rise in interracial marriages as a good thing

Almost half of Americans say it's either a very (30%) or somewhat (xix%) good matter that a larger share of people of different races are marrying each other than in the past; about ane-in-ten (eleven%) say this is a bad matter, and 4-in-ten say it'south neither skilful nor bad. Views on this question don't vary considerably across racial and ethnic groups.

A majority of adults younger than 30 (58%) see the increase in interracial marriages positively. Among the older groups, 51% of those ages xxx to 49, 45% of those ages 50 to 64, and 40% of those 65 and older agree. Nigh four-in-ten in each of the three groups say this is neither good nor bad, while relatively few encounter it equally a bad affair.

Views as well vary by educational attainment and party identification. Nearly two-thirds of adults with a postgraduate degree (65%) say the rise in interracial spousal relationship is a skillful thing for the country, compared with 55% of those with a bachelor's caste, 49% of those with some college education and 40% of adults with a high school diploma or less education.

Among Democrats and Autonomous-leaning independents, near six-in-x (61%) say it's a practiced thing that more people of different races are marrying each other, and this is particularly the instance amongst those who describe their political views as liberal. Nigh three-quarters of liberal Democrats (73%) say this is a expert thing, compared with 51% of their moderate or conservative counterparts. Just 7% of all Democrats and Autonomous leaners consider the rise in interracial marriage to be a bad thing, and 31% say it'south neither skilful nor bad.

Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are less likely than Democrats to encounter the increment in interracial marriages in a positive way: 33% say this is a somewhat or very good thing, while 16% see this as a somewhat or very bad thing, and half say information technology's neither practiced nor bad. There are no meaning differences in the views of Republicans who consider themselves conservative and those who say they are moderate or liberal.

More than half of Americans expect marriage to be less mutual by 2050

Despite a longer-term downwards trend, the share of U.Southward. adults who are married has been relatively stable in recent years. Merely about half of Americans expect that to alter, with 53% saying that people will exist less likely to get married in 2050 than they are now. Just 7% say people will be more likely to go married, while 39% expect no significant change.

For the most part, views on the future of spousal relationship don't vary much across demographic groups, but higher shares of those who are currently married (57%) than those who are not married (48%) expect wedlock to exist less mutual by 2050. And while 56% of whites and 53% of Hispanics expect that people will be less likely to get married in 2050 than they are now, just about a third of black adults (34%) say the same.

For the near part, Americans expect the divorce rate to stay largely unchanged: 58% think married couples will be virtually as likely to become divorced by 2050 as they are now. But a sizable share (29%) think people who are married will be more than likely to get divorced in some other 30 years; 12% think divorce will exist less common past then. Married and unmarried people take similar views on the hereafter of divorce.

Many think people will be less likely to have children

More than four-in-ten Americans (46%) expect that, by 2050, people will exist less likely to have children than they are now. A similar share (43%) retrieve people will exist about as likely to have children, while just one-in-ten await people to be more likely to have children in the future.

While a minority beyond all age groups wait that people in 2050 will be more likely to accept children, young adults are more likely than older Americans to say this is the case. Virtually one-in-five adults younger than 30 (18%) say they expect that people in 2050 will be more likely to have children, compared with 9% of adults thirty to 49, eight% of adults 50 to 64 and 5% of those 65 and older.

A majority of Americans say population aging will have a negative impact

The U.S. Census Agency estimates that, by 2050, the number of people who are 65 and older volition outnumber those younger than 18. A majority of the public (56%) say this transformation will be a somewhat or very bad thing for the country, 17% say information technology will be good and 26% say it will exist neither practiced nor bad.

Adults with more pedagogy are more likely than those with less formal schooling to run across population aging negatively. Nearly two-thirds of those with a available'due south caste or more education (67%) say this volition have an adverse impact on the country, compared with 56% of those with some college and 48% of high school graduates and those with less education.

Views about the impact of population aging also vary considerably by gender. Men are far more probable than women to say this alter will be bad for the land (64% vs. 49%), while twenty% of women – vs. thirteen% of men – say this trend will have a positive touch. Views don't vary considerably by age, race and ethnicity, or political party identification.