Overview
For this discussion, review the Paul Taylor’s article The Next America which presents statistics to show how the gender, racial, ethnic, and age composition of the United States is expected to change over the next few decades. Also review the Pew Research Center’s report America’s Changing Religious Landscape These resources will give you an overview of the demographic composition of the United States and over time.
Next, review Congressional Demographic and The Changing Face of Congress in 7 Charts resource to review the demographic composition of the United States Congress.
After reviewing the resources above, address the following:
- Describe the following:
- The current racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States.
- How these demographics are expected to change in coming decades.
- The racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States Congress.
- Compare the demographics of the United States population and the United States Congress by summarizing any similarities and/or differences.
- What are the potential consequences of the demographic composition of Congress not matching the demographic composition of its citizens? In other words, what problems may occur if the makeup of the members of Congress does not match the racial, gender, and religious makeup of the citizens?
For additional assistance with this part of the question, please review the following resources:
- Read the article The Uneven Presence of Women and Minorities In America’s State Legislatures – And Why It Matters
- Listen to this podcast discussing the social science implications of a non-religious identity
- Or read the articles: Lois Lee on Non-Religion Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length.