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Introduction
Demography is an interesting and exciting field. It uses statistics to explain concepts, trends etc relating to the social landscape. Statistical analysis brings forth new insights into the problem being researched. This essay takes three demographical issues with the US as a backdrop and analyses them in detail. The first one among these deals with the rising Asian, the second focuses on the diversity among 14 Hispanic groups, and the third is about immigrants.
The rising Asian is an important part of the kaleidoscope that is America. Asians look at the US as the land of opportunities. They bring their skills, education and values to a new land in the hope of a better future for themselves and their families. They are the social group on whom light is being thrown currently.
The Hispanic population (also known as Latinos) is a varied group in the US. There are 14 sub-groups based on the country of origin in the overarching Spanish speaking group. Different parameters were surveyed to find out the variance between these sub-groups. The Hispanics are by no means homogenous and exhibit great variation amongst them.
Bees are attracted by honey. That is the relation man has to America. People from all over the world come to America to live the great American dream. It is the country that attracts the largest number of immigrants. People try all means to reach the US. The ramifications of immigration are discussed in this section with the help of data published on the Pew Research Center website.
1. The Rise of Asian Americans – Statistics
(Source: Pew Research Center “The Rise of Asian Americans”)
All U.S. Asians -- 17,320,856
TOTAL including those <18 years old
1 Chinese* 4,010,114
2 Filipino 3,416,840
3 Indian 3,183,063
4 Vietnamese 1,737,433
5 Korean 1,706,822
6 Japanese 1,304,286
7 Pakistani 409,163
8 Cambodian 276,667
9 Hmong 260,073
10 Thai 237,583
11 Laotian 232,130
12 Bangladeshi 147,300
13 Burmese 100,200
14 Indonesian 95,270
15 Nepalese 59,490
16 Sri Lankan 45,381
17 Malaysian 26,179
18 Bhutanese 19,439
19 Mongolian 18,344
20 Okinawan 11,326
* Includes 215,441 Taiwanese
Source: The Asian Population: 2010, U.S. Census Bureau, March 2012
Notes: All Asians (and each subgroup) include mixed-race and mixed-group populations, regardless of Hispanic origin. There is some overlap among groups.
The Rise of Asian Americans –Data Set I
Preface
In 1965, Asians made up less than 1% of the US population (Pew Research Center). Today they make up around 6%. The study compares Asian immigrants and U.S born Asians on the one hand, and among Asian Americans from different countries of origin on the other. There is a complex interplay of several factors among immigrants and their descendants. Asians have become the largest group of new immigrants to the US. They have good skills, are highly educated, and also earn well.
Survey
Telephonic interviews were conducted among 3,511 Asians aged 18 and above. The survey was conducted all over the US. Respondents identified themselves with over 22 sub-groups. The six sub-groups among Asians who were surveyed include Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese. Those who were Asian and belonged to other groups were also interviewed.
The race question included the categories, namely ‘white’, ‘black’, ‘American Indian / Alaska Native’ and ‘Native Hawaiian / other Pacific Islander’. The languages other than English spoken by the major sub-groups were also included for the survey; they include Cantonese, Tagalog, Hindi, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese.
Findings
Asians make up 5.8% of the US population. A little more than half the number of Asians can speak English very well. 61% of recent immigrants between 25 and 65 years of age have a college degree. 93% describe Asians from their country of origin as hardworking. 57% describe Americans as a whole as hard working. 53% consider themselves different from Americans. More than half of Asians felt that a successful marriage was important and two-thirds thought that being a good parent was important. Half the Asians supported or leant towards the Democrats as a political party. Asians earned better than Americans and had lesser poor people amongst them than Americans.
The Rise of Asian Americans – Analysis & Discussion
The statistics show that by and large Asians are more prosperous and more content with their lives given the opportunities that the US has given them. Their technical and professional skills are also a factor in this regard.
American life
They have encountered some discrimination in the US. However, since they socialise amongst themselves, most of them feel that people from their country of origin are the most hard-working.
Interaction between groups
Ties with the motherland
Illegal immigration is coming down. The first generation has strong emotional ties with the country of origin. The second generation is more integrated with America.
Family and Personal Values
Asians value family much more than Americans. They believe in the institution of marriage and bearing and rearing children. They believe in having a successful marriage and being good parents.
Political and General Living
Around half the number of Asians supports the Democrats directly or indirectly. The Democrat Party is considered more immigrant friendly than the Republicans who too have their support base among the Asians.
Religious Faith
The Asians believe in Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism while some are unattached to any religious persuasion. While most of the South East Asians are Buddhist, Indians are mostly Hindu. Asians by and large are a tolerant lot in terms of religion but adhere to their own religious practices nevertheless.
Diverse Origins: The Nation’s 14 Largest Hispanic-Origin Groups
Statistics
(Source: Pew Research Center, “Diverse Origins”)
Overview
The US has a varied Latino population who hail from over 20 Spanish peaking countries with a total population of about 52 million in 2011. Almost two-third of the Hispanic population comes from Mexico. Apart from Mexico, the other major nations are Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Colombia, Spain, Honduras, Ecuador, Peru, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Argentina. The above 14 groups make up 95% of the US Hispanic population. Of these 14, six groups have a population of over a million people.
Findings
Among the Hispanics in USA, Venezuela had the highest share of foreign born at 69% and Puerto Rico had the lowest share at 1%. Cubans had the highest median age among the Hispanics at 40 and the Mexicans were at the lowest at 25. The Peurto Ricans topped the share of people aged 25 and above with only a high school diploma with 29%. At the bottom were the Venezuelans at 15%. The share of US Hispanics aged 25 and over with a Bachelor’s degree or more had an average of 13%. The chart was topped by Venezuela at 51% and at the bottom lay Guatemala at 7%. Among the Hispanics, the Spaniards where those aged 5 or more who were most proficient in English at 93% while the Guatemalans were the least proficient at 43%. Peurto Rico had the highest percentage of US Citizens at 99%. The lowest was Honduras at 50%. and the average was 75%. The Argentineans had the highest median income at $55,000. The Hondurans were the least at $31,000. The Hondurans had the highest rate of poverty at 33% and the Argentineans had the least at 11%. The Hondurans also had the highest percentage without health insurance at 46% whereas Puerto Ricans had the least percentage at 15%. Spain had the highest home ownership rate at 59%. And the Dominican Republic had the least rate at 25%.
Diverse Origins: the Nation’s 14 Largest Hispanic-Origin Groups – Analysis & Discussion (Source: Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera and Cuddington)
Puerto Rico
One can understand from the figures that Puerto Ricans arrived in the US legally and almost all of them became US citizens. Hence, the number of foreign born among them was just 1 in 100. This explains why only 15% were devoid of health insurance. The percentage of those aged 25 and over with only a school diploma was the highest at 29%. Moreover 16% had a degree or above. 82% were proficient in English (Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera and Cuddington). However, the median income was in the lower bracket and the poverty rate was in the higher bracket.
Honduras
A little less than half the Hondurans aged 5 and over were proficient in English and only half of them were US citizens. They had the least median income at $31,000 and the highest poverty level at 33%. Less than half the population had no health insurance. Hence, Hondurans were the most disadvantaged among the Hispanic communities in the US.
Venezuela
7 out of 10 Venezuelans were born outside the US. Only 15% of Venezuelans aged 25 and over had only a school diploma degree but 51% had a bachelor’s degree or more. Hence, it is probable that those with a higher qualification were moving to the US in search of jobs and opportunities.
(Source: Lopez, Gonzalez-Barrera and Cuddington)
3. A Nation of Immigrants - Statistics
(Source: Pew Research Center, “A Nation of Immigrants”)
A Nation of Immigrants – Dataset III
Overview
The US had an immigrant population of 31 million in 2000. By 2011, this figure had reached 40.4 million. The illegal population likewise, increased from 8.4 million in 2000 to 11.1 million in 2011. The immigrants make up 13% of the US population. However, the highest percentage of 15% was recorded between 1890 and 1920 when the immigrants came from Europe. Latin Americans form half the immigrants, whereas Asian form 27% of the immigrants. It is the most preferred destination of immigrants. Russia is the next best at 12.3 million.
Findings
The largest number of immigrants is from Mexico. The number of unauthorized immigrants peaked at 12 million in 2007 and came down to 11.1 million in 2011. Since 2007, the immigration from Mexico has declined. This is a result of the first decrease of illegal immigrants in at least twenty years. 58% of illegal immigrants were from Mexico in 2010. One million illegal immigrants below the age of 18 were there in the US in 2010 which included 4.5 million US born children whose parents had entered the US illegally. Almost two-thirds of the illegal migrants had lived in the US for at least a decade and nearly half were parents of minor children in 2010. In 2008, illegal immigrants formed 25% of farm workers (excluding temporary workers).
A Nation of Immigrants – Analysis & Discussion
Lay man’s take on immigration
Neither the ordinary American nor the Hispanic is concerned about immigration in real terms. A third of adults say that it should be the priority of the US government. It should be taken up by the Congress and the US President according to them.
How is the immigration policy viewed?
While some say that immigration should be restricted and made tighter, almost an equal number want that the illegal migrants be given citizenship. However, the second option is not feasible as this would lead to droves of people seeking to become US citizens.
Obama’s Deportation Policy: Opinions of Latinos
Latinos are not happy with the manner in which immigration has been handled by the Obama administration. Around 40,000 illegal immigrants had been deported since 2009. More than two-thirds of those surveyed had made their disapproval clear.
How is deportation?: Latino Views
Around a quarter of Latino adults and one thirds of illegal adult immigrants had known someone who had been deported for illegal immigration. Even 22% registered Latino voter were of the same opinion.
Mexican take on the issue
More than half of those surveyed wanted to reach the US for a better life. Around 40% would move if they had the means to. Almost an equal number wanted to take the legal and the illegal route for this purpose.
Works Cited
Lopez, Mark Hugo., Gonzalez-Barrera, Ana and Cuddington, Danielle. (2013), “Diverse Origins: The Nation’s 14 Largest Hispanic-Origin Groups”. Pew Research Center. Web. http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/06/19/diverse-origins-the-nations-14-largest-hispanic-origin-groups/ [Accessed 22 Jan 2017].
Pew Research Center. “The Rise of Asian Americans”. (2012). Web. http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2012/06/19/the-rise-of-asian-americans/ [Accessed 22 Jan 2017].
Pew Research Center, “A Nation of Immigrants”. (2013). Web. http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/01/29/a-nation-of-immigrants/ [Accessed 22 Jan 2017].
