Presentation for the Students ofChina University of Geosciences

– Gregg Lee Carter –Professor of Sociology

A Brief Social Profile of Americans(with selected comparisons to China)

*****U.S.-China Institute / Confucius Institute

Bryant UniversityAugust 2, 2012

Data Sources(Ranked by priority of use; note that of these sources are readily available on the Web; most of the data herein are from the GSS)

(1) … 2010 General Social Survey (“GSS”)A national probability sample of the noninstitutionalized, U.S. adult

population (ages 18 and older)The best single source of data on the U.S. population (attitudes and self-reported behaviors), conducted every other year by the National Opinion

Research Center, at the University of Chicago

(2) … 2010 Census of the U.S.

(3) … 2011 World Factbook (www.cia.gov)

(4) … Miscellaneous scholarly journal articles and books

SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS(1) AGE(2) MARITAL STATUS(3) NUMBER OF CHILDREN(4) GENDER(5) RACE(6) ETHNICITY(7) NATIVE BORN STATUS (born in the U.S., or not)(8) EDUCATION LEVEL(9) RELIGION(10)POLITICAL PARTY(11)POLITIAL ORIENTATION

As of 2010, there were about 309 million Americans, 74.3% of whom are 18 and

older. These …

ADULT AMERICANS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY “YOUNG” (<30) … AND TEND TO BE MARRIED AND TO HAVE

“SMALL” FAMILIES …

For all Americans, the median age is 37.2 years, and as we can see, the age distribution for “adult” Americans is very “flat”-- which is typical for a developed nation (source: 2010 Census):

****

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90+0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

18.917.8

19.3 18.6

13.0

7.4

4.2

0.8

Percentage of Adults by Age Group

In comparison, China has population of 1.3 billion, and has an average age of 35.5, with 3/4 of its population between the ages of 15 and 64 (indicative of a mature, industrialized nation) …(compare, for example, Malawi [in southeast Africa], where the median age is 17.2 years!)

The ‘total fertility rate’ (the number of children a woman can expect to give birth to during her lifetime) in China is considerably smaller than that of the U.S. (China = 1.55 vs. 2.06 in the U.S; “replacement” is considered 2.1).

No doubt that the 1971 Wan (later marriage) Xi (longer delays before having the next child) Shao (fewer children) and the One-Child Campaign (Deng Xiaoping said ‘one child is best’) had effects, but Taiwan’s drop in its birth rate followed the same pattern as that of the mainland – thus indicating that socioeconomic development is the driving force in falling fertility; in fact, many demographers believe that the birth rate of the mainland would have fallen greatly without its Wan Xi Shao and One Child programs.

(Source: John R.. Weeks, Population (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2012), p.249)

One of the themes to be learned when studying Americans (and any national population for that matter, including, as we shall see, the Chinese!) is that they are not a ‘homogeneous’ population – that the characteristics we associate with them, including what we see in this presentation, vary – often strongly so – by race, class, age, gender, and other background characteristics.

For example, race is highly correlated with marital status, as is social class (socioeconomic status – “SES” – a weighted combination of education, income, and occupational prestige)…

Note that the same relationship between SES and marriage exists in China (see “Bare Branches” discussion in later slide)

Adapted from: M. Das Gupta, A. Ebenstein, and E. Sharygin, China’s Marriage Market and Upcoming Challenges for Elderly Men (World Bank, 2010).

http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2010/06/29/000158349_20100629085520/Rendered/PDF/WPS5351.pdf)

< Primary Primary Secondary College0

5

10

15

20

25

30 27.7

8.1

2.2 1.30.6 0.2 0.41.6

Percentage Not Married by Education Level, Chinese Men & Women Born 1955-1965

MenWomen

Level of Education

Percent

The U.S. population is comprised predominantly of the descendants of white Europeans (though, as of 2012, half of all babies now born are of other racial and ethnic backgrounds: Hispanic [Latino], Asian, and Black [African American]) – with a nearly balanced sex ratio (49.2% male; 50.8% female) (Note “Hispanics” comprise about 16.3% of the current U.S. population [source: 2010 Census]):

****

White Black Asian Other Solo Race

Mixed Race0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

72.4

12.64.8 7.3

2.9

Percentage of Americans by Race

Compared to the U.S., China is much more homogeneous, with 91.5% characterized as “Han” Chinese …

And with a “negative” net migration rate (more Chinese citizens leaving China than non-citizens entering China), we can expect this homogeneity to maintain itself (the current U.S. net migration rate is 3.62 migrants/1,000 population, vs. the Chinese rate of 0.33) …

“Bare Branches” (“Guang Gun-er”)Also, Chinese government indicators of the nation’s sex ratio (number of males per 100 females) reveal that it is highly imbalanced compared to most economically developed industrial nations, for example:

under 15 years of age:

117 males per 100 females

104 males per 100 females

Despite a huge influx of immigrants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia over the past several decades (roughly, about 1 million per year), most Adult Americans have been born in the United States:

Overall, the U.S. population is “well educated” – as defined by literacy (being able to read and write) and by years of schooling: 99% of those 15 years and older are literate, and 83% of those 18 and older have completed 12 years of schooling (high school graduates), with more than a quarter of them having a university-level education:

The World Factbook estimates China’s literacy rate as very high (93.5% of its population of age 15 and older), though the Factbook also estimates that the average years of schooling a person being born today can expect in the U.S. is about 4 years more than in China (16 vs. 12 years) …

Footnote:

Even though American students are getting many years of schooling, the quality of their learning is a major contemporary social issue in the U.S.

What bothers many observers is that despite the huge investments the nation puts into schooling, in comparison to many nations with fewer resources, the U.S. ranks lower than would be expected. Although U.S. students rank above their counterparts in many economically developed nations (including Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom), there are still ranked only 14th in a recent major study of 470,000 students (15 year-olds) in 65 countries and three cities conducted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) …

Although not all of China was tested, Shanghai was included in the study, and speaking to the quality of the education the 15-year old students in this city have gotten, the city ranked number one compared to the students in all of the other cities and nations that participated in the OECD study.

(Other Chinese political entities also did very well …)

OECD Scores: Shanghai vs. the USA

Reading Math Science0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

556600

575

500 487 502

Shanghai-China United States

The majority of Americans claim to have a religion, and a high proportion report a deep level of religiosity / spirituality, with many of these regularly attending worship services …(Note: Christian breakdown: 45.7% “Protestant”; 25.8% “Catholic”; 4.2% “Other”)

All Christian Jewish Other Religion No Religion0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

70.0

80.0

75.8

1.7

8.5

17.9

Percentage by Religion

The World Factbook estimates very low levels of religious affiliation in China:

Daoist (Taoist) - ??%Buddhist - ??%Christian - 3% - 4%Muslim - 1% - 2%

Politically, Americans tend to be middle-of-the-road in their philosophy about the role of government in the lives of everyday individuals and regarding the government’s involvement in the overall welfare of society.

They are most likely to claim to be an “Independent” (neither Democrat nor Republican), and more likely to claim to be a “Democrat” (a party we associate with liberal / progressive orientations and with greater government contributions in providing services and for the overall social welfare) than to be a “Republican” (a party we associate with a stronger philosophy of ‘individualism’ and of ‘less-government’).

They tend not to turn out for local elections, but typically about three-quarters of those eligible to vote do so in national (presidential) elections. Voting behavior is highly predictable by social class and race, among other background characteristics.

EMOTIONAL LIFE & HEALTH

(1)HAPPINESS(2)HEALTH(3)FEAR OF CRIME

The large majority of Americans report themselves to be happy, healthy, and not living in fear of neighborhood crime.

These indicators of emotional and physical health are, not surprisingly, sensitive to social class, race, and other background characteristics.

Of those who report that they are not too happy, we find race and class being good predictors (and in the direction we would expect):

Of those who report being in poor health, we again find race and class being good predictors (and in the direction we would expect):

Of those who report being afraid to walk in their own neighborhood at night, we again find race and class being predictors (and in the directions we would expect), though only modestly so:

ATTITUDES TOWARD SELECTED CONTEMPORARY ISSUES

(1)GUN CONTROL(2)HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE(3)WORKING MOTHERS(4)RECYLING & ENVIRONMENTALISM

In 2011, the Gallup Poll reported that about 44% of American adults believe the U.S. should have ‘more strict’ gun control laws (down from 78% in 1990). However, the GSS reveals that most Americans would still like to see the purchaser of a gun to first obtain a permit from the local police. For the past 4 decades, this percentage has hovered around 75 …

(Note that the estimates of households in the U.S. that have a gun varies between 32% [GSS] and 47% [Gallup Poll], with ownership lowest in the Northeast and highest in the South … however, even those reporting to have a gun in their homes are more likely than not to support the policy that police permits should be required to buy a gun) ….

No guns in the hands of ordinary citizens, and no right to own a gun!

In recent years, a large ‘cultural’ battle has developed regarding gay (homosexual) rights, in general, and especially the right of gays to marry (and enjoy legal rights thereof).

Currently, the U.S. (federal) gov’t defines marriage as a union between “a man and a woman,” and thus the 1,100+ rights conferred to U.S. citizens upon marriage by the federal government benefit only heterosexual couples (these rights involve Social Security benefits, veterans' benefits, health insurance, Medicaid, hospital visitation, estate taxes, retirement savings, pensions, family leave, and benefits related to immigration).

However, the District of Columbia (Washington, DC) and 6 states allow and recognize same-sex marriage: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont), with Rhode Island (the state Bryant University is in!) and Maryland not granting a license for same-sex marriage but recognizing the legality of it if performed in DC and the 6 states allowing it …. Also, 21 states have anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation.

Homosexuality is legal, but same-sex marriages are not allowed, nor are there any

anti-discrimination laws based on sexual orientation!

Although the majority of adult American women are in the paid labor force (58% vs. 71% for men; the rates for women with young children are almost the same: 58% for women with children under 6; 55% for women with children under 3), some Americans are still torn about whether working mothers have a negative effect on their young children (with men slightly more likely to believe this is the case) …

Interestingly, women comprise 47% of the civilian labor force in the U.S., just about the same as in China (46%) – the biggest difference in employment is that China still has a relatively large proportion of its workforce in agriculture (36.7%), while the U.S. – decades ago – reduced its agricultural employment to the low single digits (1.2% today).

Another significant difference is that 28.7% of China’s workforce is in industry, while just 19.2% of the U.S.’s is so employed.

Because agricultural work is traditionally associated with low wages, and because of China’s reputation for producing quality products for low labor costs, it is perhaps not surprising that per capita GDP in China in 2011 was $8,500 (in U.S. $) … compared $49,000 in the U.S. (out of 226 nations, China’s per capita GDP rank is 121, while the U.S.’s is 11).

In the U.S., the typical adult – (1) acknowledges that mother earth cannot tolerate further population growth; (2) has reached the point where environmentally responsible behavior as reflected in recycling bottles and cans is a normal part of his or her everyday behavior; (3) [but] would not be willing to pay higher taxes to improve the environment (e.g., “green taxes” to reduce air, ground, and water pollution) …