Whites without Degree Think They're Losing Ground

Non-Hispanic whites without a college degree feel like losers, according to the results of the General Social Survey. When asked the question, "Compared with American families in general, would you say your family income is below average, average, or above average?" here's what non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree had to say in 2014 (the latest data available) and how that has changed since 2000...

• One-third (33%) of non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree said their family income was below average relative to American families in general, up from 24% who felt that way in 2000. 
• Barely half (50.4%) said their family income was average relative to other families. A larger 54% felt that way in 2000.
• Only 17% of non-Hispanic whites without a bachelor's degree said their family income was above average, compared with a larger 22% who felt that way in 2000.

Non-Hispanic whites with a bachelor's degree do not share these anxieties. The 52 percent majority of college-educated non-Hispanic whites said their family income in 2014 was above average relative to others, up from 48 percent who felt that way in 2000.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey