Is US society a society of white people? Yes and no: According to new figures from the US Census Bureau, the United States is moving faster than expected towards a diverse society.
The number of whites in the United States has declined over the past decade. According to data from the new US census, the proportion of whites in the total population fell by 8.6 percent between 2010 and 2020 to around 204 million people.
The Washington Post wrote that it was the first time in the history of the census that the number of whites in the country had fallen. “The US population is much more mixed and racially and ethnically diverse than we have measured in the past,” noted Nicholas Jones of the Census Bureau. According to the official information, they are still the largest group – with a share of around 57.8 percent, however, it has fallen below 60 percent of the around 330 million for the first time. The decline in the white population was registered in all 50 states.
The opinion polls have identified the opioid crisis, i.e. the abuse of painkillers in the USA, as one of the reasons for this decline. The effects are clearly demonstrable, it is said. Even before the start of the corona pandemic, average life expectancy had fallen noticeably in the past three years – especially among white Americans with low incomes who live in the countryside.
US population significantly more diverse than known
The statisticians found that the US population was significantly more mixed and diverse than past counts had shown. This is due to both demographic changes and new survey methods.
According to census data, the number of people with Spanish or Latin American roots in the US has grown by 23 percent since 2010 to around 62 million. They make up 18.7 percent of the population. According to Zenus, contrary to what is often assumed, this is not due to increased immigration. “Most of the growth of the Hispanic population is due to the excess of Hispanic births over deaths,” the political portal “The Hill” quotes Kenneth Johnson, demographer from the University of New Hampshire. The increase in this population group even cushioned the general population decline.
A good 12 percent are African American
The proportion of African-Americans in the total population is according to the current figures at 12.4 percent, people of Asian descent make up 6 percent of the population.
The number of those in the USA who identify as members of several of these and other population groups made a significant leap – in various combinations. According to the census, your group grew from 9 million in 2010 to 33.8 million in 2020. This corresponds to an increase of 276 percent.
Swell: ; DPA news agency; ; (Paid content)
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