Question
Diversity Training Manual: Part 1
Preliminary Outline of the manual
- Current statistics regarding the U.S. population demographics
- Recent trends in the U.S. population
- Forecasted trends on the same
- Immigrant versus native
- Religion
- Age
- Race
Sample paper
Current statistics regarding the population demographics of the U.S.
Data retrieved from the United States Census Bureau (2015) indicates that the U.S. had a total population of 321,418,820 individuals as at July 2015. This represented a 4.1% increase in population over a span of 5 years. The population estimates as of July 2014 was 318,857,056 persons. Population growth in the U.S. is mainly driven by immigration rather than by the number of births which account for a little change in the entire population. As of July 2014, those over 18 years represented the larger part of the population, comprising of 76.9 percent of the population. Of the 318,857,056 individuals, 50.8% were female while male accounted for 49.2%. Thus, there is a slightly higher number of women than men. The Whites constitute the majority race, accounting for about 77.4% of the total population. African Americans come second accounting for about 13.2% of the total population. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin make up 17.44% of the total population.
Asians alone make up about 5.4% of the total population as per the United States Census Bureau (2015) data. American Indians and Alaska Native inhabitants alone comprise of about 1.2% of the total population. Between 2010 and 2014, the number of foreign born persons living on the U.S. were recorded as 13.1% of the total population. This number is increasing everyday due to the high immigration status in the U.S.
Recent trends in the U.S. population
There are a number of new trends that are shaping the U.S. population dynamics. According to Cohn & Caumont (2016), the U.S. population is currently more ethnically and racially diverse than any other period in history. The change in diversity is primarily associated with immigration. Immigration will still remain as the key driver of diversity. The number of foreign born persons living in the U.S. is currently estimated at 14%. Another recent trend concerns the migration patterns. Currently, more Asians are immigrating into the U.S. compared to Latin Americans who formed the largest share of immigrants in the past. The Millennials (those born after 1980), have surpassed the Baby Boomers (1946-1964) in terms of numbers. The millennials are the most ethnically diverse group in the U.S.
Another trend involves women participation in the labor force which is at its highest. Currently, 40% of women are the breadwinners in their families, indicating a radical change to the social structures. Currently, there are more single-parent families in the U.S. than in the past. Recent trends indicate that the traditional two-parent household is on the decline. In 2000, 73 percent of children were living with both parents, compared to 69 percent of in 2014. On the other hand, those living with one parent increased from 22 percent to 26 in the same period. Divorce rates have increased significantly over the recent past. The overall population growth rate in the U.S. averaged 0.7% in 2013.
Forecasted trends
The U.S. receives a high number of immigrants every day. Current projections indicate that Asian immigrants will surpass Hispanics to become the largest group of immigrants in the U.S. Between 1995 and 2015, the number of Hispanic immigrants has remained relatively constant, with recorded percentage of 44 in 1995 and 47% of the immigrant population in 2015. On the other hand, the percentage of Asian immigrants is rapidly increasing, with 23% in 1995 and 26% in 2015. If the recent trends continue, Asian immigrants will comprise about 36% of the immigrant population. There will be significant changes in the religious sector. Projections indicate that Christianity will still be the largest denomination in the U.S. over the next 4 decades. However, the growth rate of Islamism will rival that of Christianity over the same period. By 2050, the number of Muslims will roughly be the same as the number of Christians worldwide.
Population growth over the next four decades is projected to be slower compared to that witnessed from 1950s up to the last decade. In the U.S., net population will increase over the next five decades albeit slowly. It is projected that the U.S. will have a total population of 416,795,000 persons by 2060, representing a 30% increase in the entire population since 2015. Population growth rate will reduce to about 0.45% over the next decades (“United States Census Bureau,” 2014)
Immigrant vs native
As earlier mentioned, the U.S. population comprise of a large number of immigrants. Passel & Cohn (2008) projects the U.S. population to increase to about 438 million by 2050. The projections are based on 2005 as the base year, with a population of 296 million. The population growth will largely be driven by immigrants, accounting for about 82% of the total growth. Thus, about 117 million people will be new immigrants into the U.S. over the period. The native population will comprise about 25 million of the new growth in population. Of the total number of immigrants, 67 million will represent the direct immigrants while the other 47 million will be their children and a further 3 million their grandchildren. The projections indicate that by 2050 about one in every five Americans will be of a foreign origin. The 2005 figures indicates that about one in every eight Americans were of a foreign origin. By 2050, there will also be significant changes in net population size of different ethnic groups. The population of non-Hispanic whites will reduce from 67% as recorded in 2005 to 47% of the total population by 2050.
Religion
According to Pew Research Center (2015), there is a sharp decline in the number of people who identify as Christians in the U.S. On the other hand, there is an increase in the number of people who do not identify with any particular religion. About seven in ten Americans identify themselves as Christians. In 2007, 78.4% of Americans identified themselves as Christians. In another research conducted in 2014, it is only 70.6% of the population who identified as Christians. The number of those who termed themselves as either agnostic or atheist increased from 16.1 percent to 22.8 percent over the same period. Those of other faiths such as Hindus and Muslims increased from 4.7 percent to 5.9 percent over the same period. The largest share of gains is by the Muslim faith, which recorded 0.4% of the total respondents in 2007 and 0.9% of the total in 2014. The increase in non-Christian faith is expected to continue over the coming period. The number of Christians will also continue declining, although they will still remain the majority.
Age
According to Perce (2016), there are four distinct generations that characterize today’s population which include: Traditionalists (1925 and 1946), Baby Boomers (1946-1963), Generation X (1963-1981), and Generation Why (1981-2000). The Baby Boomers and Generation X comprise of the majority in the workforce, each accounting for about 40 to 45 percent of the population in the workforce. Some of the Baby Boomers have started quitting the active workforce. Those in Generation X are between 26 and 44 years of age. Some of them are thus joining the working population or at the helm of their careers. The Traditionalists are already in their retirement age, and a large number of them have already retired. They currently make up about 5 to 10 percent of the total working population. Majority of those in Generation Why have not yet joined the working population. Only a few have started working.
Race
The U.S. is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in the world. As of 2005, the dominant race was the Whites, making up 67% of the entire population. These are followed by those of a Hispanic origin, accounting for about 14% of the entire population. African Americans are in the third category comprising of 13% of the total population. Asians comprise of 5% of the entire population. Projections indicate that by 2050, those of a Hispanic origin will account for about 29% of the total population, representing a 15% increase (Passel & Cohn, 2008).
References
Cohn, D., & Caumont, A. (2016). 10 demographic trends that are shaping the U.S. and the world. Retrieved from: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/03/31/10- demographic-trends-that-are-shaping-the-u-s-and-the-world/
Passel, J. S., & Cohn, D. (2008). U.S. population projections: 2005-2050. Retrieved from: http://www.pewhispanic.org/2008/02/11/us-population-projections-2005-2050/
Pew Research Center. (2015). America’s changing religious landscape. Retrieved from: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/
Pierce, R. (2016). Dealing with changing workforce: Supervision in the 21st century. Business Expert Webinars. Retrieved from: http://www.businessexpertwebinars.com/content/view/593/29/
United States Census Bureau. (2014). 2014 national population projections: Summary tables. Retrieved from: http://www.census.gov/population/projections/data/national/2014/summarytables.html
United States Census Bureau. (2015). Quick Facts. Retrieved from: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00
