A Portrait of America ― The Demographic Perspective

"A Portrait of America describes our nation's changing population and examines some of its most pressing contemporary challenges, ranging from poverty and economic inequality to racial tensions and health disparities, through a demographic lens. Specifically, chapters cover the following topics: America's historical demographic growth; the American family today; gender inequality; economic well being; immigration and diversity; racial and ethnic inequality; internal migration and residential segregation;and finally health and mortality. The discussion of these topics is informed by several sources, including an examination of household survey data (such as from the U.S. Current Population Survey), as well as syntheses of existing published material, both quantitative and ethnographic. The book discusses current issues and controversies around each theme to highlight their role in everyday debates taking place in Congress, media, and in American living rooms. All the chapters include some historical background, as well as a discussion of how patterns and trends in the United States compare to those in other peer countries"--