Latinos and the Language of the News

In a recent report, Mark Hugo Lopez and Ana Gonzalez-Barrera from the Pew Research Hispanic Center found that an increasing number of Latino adults are getting their news in English and fewer are getting news in Spanish. The results are based on the National Survey of Latinos (NSL) that was conducted from September 7 through October 4, 2012, using a nationally representative sample of 1,765 Latino adults. The interviews were conducted in English and Spanish on cell phones and landline telephones.

According to the survey, one-third (32%) of Hispanic adults said that they got their news exclusively in English in 2012, up from 22% in 2006. And 82% of Hispanic adults said they got some of their news in English in 2012, up from 78% in 2006. By contrast, the share of Hispanic adults who got their news exclusively in Spanish has decreased to 18% in 2012, down from 22% in 2006. While those who said that they got some of their news in Spanish has declined, to 68% in 2012, down from 78% in 2006. Half of Latino adults say they got their news in both languages in 2012, down from 57% in 2010.

Read more here:

http://www.pewhispanic.org/2013/07/23/a-growing-share-of-latinos-get-their-news-in-english

http://www.pewresearch.org/

 About the authors:

http://www.pewhispanic.org/author/mlopez/

http://www.pewhispanic.org/author/agonzalezbarrera/

Spreading the Wealth? 2009 - 2011 Sees Gains for Top 7%

According to data recently released from the U.S Census Bureau and analyzed by the Pew Research Center, 2009 to 2011 (sometimes thought of as the first two years of the recovery) saw mean net worth gains of 28% for the top seven percent of households.  The lower 93%, however, saw net mean losses of 4%.  Putting numbers to the percentages, that accounts for 8 million households in the top seven percent and 111 million households in the bottom 93%.

According to Pew, these difference occurred owing to the changes between the stock and bond market and the housing market;  more affluent families tended to have financial holdings in the stock and bond markets, while less affluent families wealth tends to be stored in their homes.  The ensuing difference in markets let to the top seven percent of households owning 63% of the nation's aggregate wealth in 2011, which was an increase from 56% in 2009.

Low-cost Airline Usage

If air travel is your method of choice, there's no cheaper way than airlines like Southwest Airlines or Ryanair.  Low-cost carriers are used more frequently and are relatively inexpensive -- unless you've got to reschedule that flight, need to carry more luggage, or violate any of a host of fees that add to the ticket's cost.

The Economist, via Amadues, has released a map detailing the range of countries that rely most heavily on low-cost airline services.  Countries that are more red have a higher percentage of citizens that rely on the cheaper alternatives to flying.

The Philippines were the nation with the largest percentage of citizens using budget airlines at 65% of all passengers using these services.  Russia, Japan, and China all had markedly low use, at 5%, 4%, and 1% of passengers using budget carriers, with China's fierce protection of the nation's three major airlines being cited as reasons for low participation.

56% of Americans are Averse to Filing Taxes

  While not exactly groundbreaking, Pew Research Center released a poll detailing that a majority (56%) of Americans do not care for doing their taxes.  Of those averse, 26% hate it and 30% merely dislike the annual chore.  29% say they like it and a small sliver of Americans even enjoy filling out their income taxes (5%).
  Reasons for elation include the refund that's sure to come, one's own skill for filling out taxes, a sense of control, and even the duty to play a fair share to the system.  On the other hand, reasons for consternation include the inherent complications, the time consuming nature, and a marked disfavor with the government's use of tax money.
  Across partisan lines, Democrats are much more likely to enjoy doing their taxes than Republicans, with 40% of Democrats enjoying taxes and 32% disliking the task.  Independents are even less likely to feel joy at the prospect of taxes, with only 31% responding favorably.  Republicans are more likely than either Democrats or Independents to see a failure to report all income as "morally wrong" (at 78%, 68%, and 69% respectively).

Support for Same-Sex Marriage On the Rise

In the past decade, support for gay marriage has been steadily on the rise.  According to a comprehensive report done by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, this steady increase has been defined by the generational gap, although all generations have seen increases in support for same-sex marriage.
The Millennial Generation (those born after 1980) has seen the most dramatic shift, rising from 51% favoring legalized same-sex marriages in 2003 to 70% in 2013.  In addition to the substantial increase, the Millennial Generation also makes up a larger percentage of the adult population now than it did in 2003 (tripling from 9% to 27%).

Millennials have not been alone in coming around to legalizing same-sex marriages.  The Silent Generation (1928-1945) has almost doubled its rate of support over the same span of ten years, increasing from 17% to 31%.  Baby Boomers (1946-1964) and Generation X (1965-1980) have seen more modest increases in support from 33% to 38% and 41% to 49%, respectively.

To deepen the understanding of shifting attitudes, surveyors asked respondents whether their views on same-sex marriage had changed or if it had always been that way.  One-in-seven (14%) of the entire population have changed their minds to support same-sex marriage (this accounts for 28% of all proponents of same-sex marriage).  The main reason for changing one's mind, according to respondents, was knowing someone who was homosexual (32%), while a close second was personally growing more open (25%).  Be sure to check out the rest of the report, which shows larger societal responses to homosexuality in general, shifting responses to gay rights issues,and changing religious stances.

All Time Low for "Strong" Catholic Identity

Since the conception of a religious strength question in 1974, the General Social Survey (GSS) has never measured a lower amount of U.S. Catholics that are self-described as "strong" Catholics.  Pew reports that in 2012, the amount of Catholics claiming strong religious identity was 27%.  "Strong" Protestant religious identity has been rising in recent years and was found to be almost double the Catholic numbers with 54% of Protestants claiming strong religious identity in 2012.

In addition, the GSS reveals that both among Protestants and Catholics there are marked correlations between strength of religious identity and church attendance; strong Catholics attend Mass more often than Catholics as a whole with the same trend being apparent for Protestants.  However, strong Catholic respondent's attendance (regular attendance being described as attendance once a week to Mass) has been waning, falling from 85% in 1974 to 53% in 2012.  Protestant fluctuations do not reveal any strong trends, with 55% of strong Protestants attending church once a week in 1974 and 60% in 2012.  When broken down, Protestant divisions show revealing trends.  Evangelical and Black Protestants identify with strong religious identities (57% and 69%, respectively).  Only 35% of Mainline Protestants claim strong religious identity.

The Best Places for a Working Woman

According to The Economist, the United States ranks 12^th out of 26 wealthy countries for a woman to work. The results were determined using five indicators including how many men and women who had secondary education, the percentage of women who participate in the labor force, the gap between the earnings of men and women, the proportion of women in high level positions, and the cost of child care compared to the average wage. 

 

New Zealand came in first place, followed by Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Australia. Although Finland placed 7^th overall, it performed the best on measures regarding education. In Sweden, 78% of women participate in the labor force marking the highest rate out of all 26 countries. In Spain, the wage gap was only 6%, the lowest among all the countries. In contrast, Japan and South Korea were ranked quite low because there are few women in the country who hold high level senior positions.

Lowest Obesity Levels in Rocky Mountain State for Third Year in a Row

According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, Colorado is the only state in the nation that has obesity levels below 20%, making it the least obese state since 2010. On the other hand, West Virginia boasts the highest obesity rate, with 33.5% of residents surveyed reporting that they are obese. This is more than 7% higher than the national average of 26.2%. With the exception of four states, there was little change in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012. Delaware was the only state that experienced a slight decrease in obesity levels while obesity rates increased in Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina.

As expected, Colorado also had the lowest rates of high blood pressure with only 22% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 23.8% of Minnesotans, and 24.6% of Wyoming residents. West Virginia had the highest level of high blood pressure in the country, with 39.7% of residents reporting high blood pressure, followed by 38.4% if Mississippi residents, and 36.4% of residents in Alabama.

Additionally, many of the states with the lowest obesity levels and lowest rates of high blood pressure also had the lowest diabetes rates. Only 6% of Alaskans reported that they were suffering from diabetes, followed by 7.4% Colorado residents, and 8.1% of Montana residents.  In Mississippi, 15.4% of residents surveyed reported that they had diabetes, marking the highest diabetes rate for any state. West Virginia came in a close second, with 15.2% of residents suffering from diabetes, followed by 13.6% of residents in Alabama.

Share of Young Americans With Debt at Lowest Level Since 1983

According to Pew Research Center, although young adults took a hit in the recession, many actually managed to decrease their debt from 2007 to 2010. In 2007, among those under the age of 35, their debt totaled $21,912. But in 2010 the median debt level of young adults fell to $15,473 which is a 29% decline in just 3 years. It was estimated that older adults owed more than younger adults and unfortunately, their decline in debt was modest compared to young adults. Older adults were $32,543 in debt as of 2007 but they did manage to pay off some of their debt. This brought their median total debt level to $30,070 in 2010 which is only a 8% decline in debt.

Today's young adults also did a better job of paying off their debt during the recession than young adults in other time periods. The Pew Research Center estimates that in 2010 78% of households headed by a young adult held any debt. Although this figure may seem high, this actually marks the lowest level of young debt holders since 1983 when this data first started being collected by the government.

Although this news is certainly welcome to those who worry about high debt ratios among young Americans, it is important to examine why they have less debt. For one, part of this decline is due simply to the fact that fewer young Americans own homes or carry credit card balances. For instance, in 2007 it was estimated that 48% of young Americans had credit card debt compared to 39% of young adults in 2010. Moreover, although the total median debt level may have been lower in 2010, the proportion of households carrying student debt rose dramatically. In 2001, only 26% of younger households had student loan debt compared to 40% in 2010, marking a 14% increase in less than a decade.

U.S. Hispanic Adults Twice as Likely to Identify or Lean Democratic

According to Gallup, a compilation of  daily tracking data for 2012 shows that 51% of Hispanic adults identify as or lean Democratic, with 24% of Hispanic respondents identifying as or leaning Republican.  Upon further probing of initial responses, 20% of Hispanics were true independents and did not have a party preference.

This trends holds true across age groups for the Hispanic population.  50% of the 18-34 and 35-54 age group identified or leaned Democratic, while the 59% of the 55+ age group identified similarly.  While similar across age groups, the Hispanic population is not as identified with the Democratic Party as the Non-Hispanic Black population, but more likely than the Non-Hispanic White population to identify with the Democratic Party.  In addition, an earlier Gallup analysis reveals that U.S.-born Hispanics were more likely to be Republican than their foreign-born counterparts.

States of Medicaid Expansion

According to the New York Times, 22 governors have committed to expanding their state's Medicaid program, including seven states with Republican governors.  In the wake of the 2012 Supreme Court decision that made an expansion of government-sponsored health care for lower-income people a state decision, Medicaid expansion has been a polemic issue at the state level.

The federal government has agreed to pay all costs of such an expansion from 2014 to 2016, afterwards paying 90% for an unspecified time, but some governors were not swayed.  Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, North Dakota, Michigan, Ohio, and Florida are the seven states with Republican governors that now voice support for the bill.  These changes of heart are due to government funding, consumer advocacy, and the health care industry.  Many hospitals are voicing support for the expansion, claiming that the less expensive Medicaid insurance will make up whatever losses the hospitals might incur by the volume of the newly insured.  Were all 22 states to choose to expand Medicaid, the 60 million covered by Medicaid currently would increase to 77 million insured people.

Good Weather for the Global Economy?

The Economist has released an interactive barometer that reports the perceived forecast for the global economy (as rated by more than 1,500 senior executives).  By clicking on dates on the line graph, the barometer will change to correspond to the global business outlook at the time.  By clicking on the regions to the right of the line graph, new bars will appear to represent the chosen region.  In addition, the interactive feature allows the user to select the confidence by selected industry.  The third tab entitled "In Focus" focuses on two questions:  "Is the euro crisis over?" and "How would you describe current regulation of the banks?"

The Economist has gleaned from this information that since the last quarter of the 2012 approval ratings concerning the global economy have risen from -11% to 7% in the first quarter of 2013.  This optimism carries over into the transport and tourism sectors of industry, but turns negative in the IT, technology and government sectors.  Finally, an overwhelming majority of respondents do not believe the euro crisis is over and around half respond that the current bank regulations have not gone far enough.

Information Access in North Korea Continues to Increase

The Economist recently published an article exploring the ways in which North Koreans are accessing more information connecting them to the outside world. Despite the efforts of leaders inside the country to curb such access, it is estimated that more than 70% of North Koreans have access to television and more than 40% have access to radio.

Nearly 80% of North Koreans surveyed claimed that word of mouth was an important source of information but only 40% said the same of domestic television. Moreover, slightly more than 20% said that South Korean radio was an important source of information, despite the fact that listening to non-state run radio stations is illegal. In contrast, only about 5% said that domestic radio was an important source of information.

The Changing Face of the Catholic Population Around the World

In light of the recently announced resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life published an analysis detailing how the distribution of Catholics has drastically changed over time. In 1910, 65% of the Catholic population could be found in Europe, while only 24% of Catholics resided in Latin America and the Caribbean, and less than 1% lived in Sub-Saharan Africa. By 2010, the Catholic population significantly decreased in Europe but increased in the developing world. As of 2010, 39% of Catholics lived in Latin America and the Caribbean, followed by 24% in Europe, and 16% in Sub-Saharan Africa. Interestingly, the distribution of Catholics has remained stable in North Africa and the Middle-East over the past 100 years. In 1910, less than 1% of Catholics resided in the Middle East-North African region, and a century later the percentage of Catholics in the region still remains under 1%.

Upon examining the percentage of Catholics within each region, the Pew Research Center also found that Catholics overwhelmingly dominated Latin America. Nearly 72% of the population in Latin America and the Caribbean is Catholic, followed by 35% in Europe, 26% in North America, 21% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3% in the Asia-Pacific region, and 2% in the Middle East.

Stats of the Union

The Economist recently released an interactive map under the heading "Stats of the Union", featuring several measures of the United States ranging from unemployment rates to measurements of the under-18 population.  At the national level, averages from each state appear underneath the map.  For certain measures, clicking on the desired state will produce a breakdown of the chosen measure.

Along with this map, The Economist summarizes that the unemployment rate has stabilized, with nineteen states recording decreases.  Despite the shrinking national economy (of .1% in last year's fourth quarter), personal income has increased in all states, and all but eight saw increases in their state economy.

World's Most Expensive Cities

With Tokyo topping the list once again, the Economist Intelligence Unit released this chart analyzing the cost-of living index.  Beating out Zurich which achieved the number one spot last year due to its currency strength, Tokyo occupies the same place this year it has had fourteen times in the last twenty years.

New York forms the basis for comparison and is anchored at one hundred for reference, though up nineteen places from last year, reaching spot 27.  The scale is determine on the weighted average of 160 goods and services in each city.

In the past decade, cities that have seen strongest growth are Caracas and São Paulo (however, Caracas is seen to decrease to the level of Mumbai and Karachi when corrected for high inflation).  The past ten years have spelled out the most decline for Detroit and Panama City.

Seasonal Spike in Jobless Claims

Americans seeking unemployment aid rose sharply in the past week.  According to the Associated Press,  38,000 Americans filed for unemployment, making the seasonally adjusted total 368,000.  In addition, the number of applications fell by 45,000, reaching a five-year low.  Reasons for the increased amount of unemployment is the termination of seasonal retail work.  As such, it hasn't caused much alarm among economists, who are projecting that January's job report will show that 155,000 more jobs were added and that the employment rate will remain constant at 7.8%.

The article suggests that steady hiring will counter the contraction of the national economy that has been caused by decreased military spending and fewer exports.  Positive signals for the economy include increases in consumer spending (which accounts for 70% of activity), business investments in equipment and software, and rising housing prices.

U.S. Immigrant Population Continues to Grow

According to Pew Research Center, the immigrant population in the United States was 40.4 million, a record high for the country.  In 2011, the 13% of immigrants living in the United States was slightly lower than the nation's peak at 15%, which occurred between 1890 and 1920.  The 40.4 million immigrants in the United States are distinctly comprised of Latin Americans (50%) and Asians (27%), as opposed to the influx of European immigrants in the period between 1890 and 1920.

The population of unauthorized immigrants, a segment of the 40.4 million immigrants in the United States, were down slightly since 2007, from 12 million to 11.1 in 2011.  Highlighting other trends relating to unauthorized immigration, Pew links to further analysis in other articles, which can be found here.

Last Call for ICPSR Research Paper Competition Entries

The deadline for the ICPSR Research Paper Competition for undergraduate and graduate students is Thursday, January 31. For prizes, forms, and details, see http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/content/ICPSR/prize/index.html

Little Progress Made in Reducing Obesity Levels

Gallup reports that despite public campaigns aimed at encouraging healthy eating habits and reducing high levels of obesity, it appears that much more work is needed to combat the current health crisis. There were small changes in obesity levels from 2011 to 2012, with obesity increasing by 0.7% from 2011 to 2012. It is estimated that as of 2012, 26.2% of Americans are obese, 36.1% are overweight, and a little more than a third were a normal weight. These results are especially troubling, since obesity rates were expected to decline given that a higher percentage of Americans claimed to exercise frequently and more believed that obesity was a paramount public health issue.

Obesity levels varied by socioeconomic status, race, region, and gender. According to Gallup's study, 20.4% of those with incomes under $36,000 identified as obese. Among those with annual incomes above $90,000, only 21.2% were obese. African Americans continue to have the highest levels of obesity, with 34.9% reporting that they are obese. This is 8% higher than obesity levels among Hispanics, and nearly 10% higher than obesity levels among whites. Obesity levels are also highest in the South, with 28.1% surveyed reporting that they are obese, followed by 27.4% among people in the Midwest, 25% in the East, and 23.2% on the West Coast. Lastly, obesity levels were higher among men, with roughly 27.3% reporting that they are obese compared to 25% of women.