U.S.-China Institute / Confucius Institute Bryant University August 2, 2012

Presentation for the Students ofChina University of Geosciences– Gregg Lee Carter –Professor of SociologyA Brief Social Profile of Americans(with selected comparisons to China)***** U.S.-China Institute / Confucius Institute Bryant University August 2, 2012

DataSources (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 • AGE • MARITAL STATUS • NUMBER OF CHILDREN • GENDER • RACE • ETHNICITY • NATIVE BORN STATUS (born in the U.S., or not) • EDUCATION LEVEL • RELIGION • POLITICAL PARTY • 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): ****

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)

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]): ****

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 rateis 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 sexratio (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

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”)

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 • HAPPINESS • HEALTH • 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 • GUN CONTROL • HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE • WORKING MOTHERS • 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) ….

U.S.-China Institute / Confucius Institute Bryant University August 2, 2012