Discussion Post: Political Representation & Changing U.S. Demographics
Research shows that the demographic makeup of the United States will shift considerably over the next thirty years. However, the demographic composition of the United States government is not representative of these changes.
For this discussion, review the Paul Taylor's article "The Next America" By Paul Taylor, 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 "Graphic Sociology" and the Washington Post article "The new Congress is 80 percent white, 80 percent male and 92 percent Christian" to review the demographic composition of the United States Congress.
After reviewing the resources above, address the following:
1) Describe the following:
a) The current racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States.
b) How these demographics are expected to change in coming decades.
c) The racial, gender, and religious composition of the United States Congress.
2) Compare the demographics of the United States population and the United States Congress by summarizing any similarities and/or differences.
3) 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?
The response must include a reference list. One-inch margins, double-space, Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font and APA style of writing and citations.