61% of Faith and Flag Conservatives Have Guns

Every few years, Pew Research Center probes the political beliefs of Americans, sorting the public into what it calls political typologies. The latest such survey, conducted in July 2021, finds the public distributed as follows...

Distribution of American adults by political typology, 2021 (from most liberal to most conservative)

  6% are Progressive Left

13% are Establishment Liberals

16% are Democratic Mainstays

10% are Outsider Left

15% are Stressed Sideliners

12% are Ambivalent Right

11% are Populist Right

  7% are Committed Conservatives

10% are Faith and Flag Conservatives

Take the political typology quiz and find out where you stand by clicking here.

Not surprisingly, the great majority of those in the four most conservative groups identify as Republicans, including 97 percent of Faith and Flag Conservatives. Among the four most liberal groups, the great majority identify as Democrats, including 98 percent of the Progressive Left. The group in the middle—Stressed Sideliners—is equally likely to identify as Democrat or Republican (45 percent each). This group is the most politically disconnected and votes at relatively low rates, Pew notes.  

Faith and Flag Conservatives and The Populist Right are the two groups most likely to live in a small town/rural area, at 39 and 38 percent respectively. These are also the groups most likely to have guns in their household, with 61 percent of each group reporting household gun ownership. 

Those with Progressive Left beliefs are least likely to live in a small town or rural area (13 percent). Together with the Outsider Left group, they are least likely to have guns in their household, with only 26 percent reporting gun ownership. 

Source: Pew Research Center, Beyond Red vs. Blue: The Political Typology

Movers from Abroad at 70-Year Low

Not only are Americans moving at a record low pace, but fewer people are moving to the United States from abroad. Only 611,000 movers from abroad came to the United States in 2021, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, the smallest number since 1951. 

Typically, more than 1 million movers from abroad arrive in the United States each year. The number first surpassed 1 million in 1962 and has remained above that level in most years since then. The number peaked at 1.8 million in 2005. 

The decline has affected all parts of the United States. Every region recorded a record low number of movers from abroad in 2021, according to the Census Bureau's regional data series dating back to 1981... 

Movers from abroad by region, 2021 (and peak number and year) 

Northeast: 81,000 (337,000 in 2001)

Midwest: 63,000 (357,000 in 2015)

South: 323,000 (685,000 in 2005)

West: 144,000 (629,000 in 1989)

Between the peak year and 2021, the number of movers from abroad fell 82 percent in the Midwest, 76 percent in the Northeast, 56 percent in the West, and 53 percent in the South. If you wonder why there is a labor shortage, this is one of the reasons. 

Source: Census Bureau, CPS Historical Migration/Geographic Mobility Tables

Many Americans Report Drug Problems in Family

Drug use is a common family problem. Nearly one-third of Americans (32 percent) report having had a drug problem in their family, according to a Gallup survey. This figure is up from 23 percent who reported family issues with drugs in the early 2000s. 

The percentage who report having had a drug problem in their family has grown in every demographic segment over the past two decades. One of the biggest increases occurred in small towns and rural areas. In the early 2000s, only 17 percent of residents in small towns/rural areas reported having had a drug problem in their family. By 2018–21, fully 28 percent of rural residents reported a family drug problem—an 11 percentage point increase. Consequently, urban and rural residents are now about equally likely to report a drug problem in their family. 

Percent who say drug abuse has been a cause of trouble in their family 

(and percentage point change, 2000–05 to 2018–21)

City residents: 29% (+5)

Suburban residents: 32% (+8)

Small town/rural residents: 28% (+11)

Source: Gallup, Drugs Have Been a Problem in Family for 32% of Americans

Geographic Mobility Again Falls to All-Time Low

Only 8.4 percent of Americans lived in a different house in 2021 than one year earlier, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. This is the lowest rate of geographic mobility in a data series going back more than 70 years. The 27.1 million movers were also the fewest ever recorded in the data series. 

Percent of population aged 1 or older who moved during the year

2020-2021: 8.4%

2010-2011: 11.6%

2000-2001: 14.2%

1990-1991: 17.0%

1980-1981: 17.2%

1970-1971: 18.7%

1960-1961: 20.6%

1950-1951: 21.2%

The geographic mobility rate has been falling for decades, so it is no surprise that the current numbers are the lowest ever recorded. In fact, the U.S. has set a new record low in geographic mobility in every year since 2015-2016. The Census Bureau notes that changes in nonresponse rates to the Current Population Survey (CPS) may have affected the 2021 data. The mobility rate may not be quite as low as the measured 8.4 percent because renters and lower-income households, who are more likely to move, have been less likely than others to respond to the CPS during the pandemic. Nevertheless, the trend is clear. Americans are increasingly likely to stay put. 

Source: Census Bureau, CPS Migration/Geographic Mobility Data Tables

Center of Population Still in Missouri

The center of population is still in Missouri, the Census Bureau reports. The center's latitude and longitude place it 14.6 miles northeast of the tiny town of Hartville. The center has been ambling through Missouri since 1980. Every decade after completing the census, the Census Bureau calculates the mean center of population. It defines the mean center "as the place where an imaginary, flat, weightless and rigid map of the United States would balance perfectly if all residents were of identical weight." It's imaginary, but instructive. 

Between 2010 and 2020, the center of population moved only 11.8 miles. This is the shortest distance the center has moved since 1920 and the second shortest distance ever, the Census Bureau reports. It is also the most southerly move ever. "This southerly drift and shorter distance can be attributed to a strong pull on the center by continued population growth in the Southeast," the Census Bureau explains.

The Census Bureau also calculates the mean center of population for states and counties. You can see your state and county centers of population and how far they moved between 2010 and 2020 on this data visualization. 

Source: Census Bureau, Census Bureau Announces Hartville, Missouri as "Center of Population" for the United States

31% of Young Adults Have Dabbled in Cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is making inroads into the financial affairs of the American public, especially among young adults. Overall, 16 percent of people aged 18 or older say they have ever invested in, traded, or used a cryptocurrency, according to a Pew Research Center survey. This figure is up from 1 percent in 2015 (when Pew asked exclusively about Bitcoin). The share of adults who have ever invested/traded/used a cryptocurrency is highest among young adults...

Percent who have ever invested/traded/used cryptocurrency, 2021

Total 18-plus: 16%

Aged 18 to 29: 31%

Aged 30 to 49: 21%

Aged 50 to 64: 8%

Aged 65-plus: 3%

Men are more than twice as likely as women to have ever invested/traded/used cryptocurrency—22 percent of men versus 10 percent of women. Young men are most likely to have done so. Among men aged 18 to 29, 43 percent have dabbled in cryptocurrency.

Source: Pew Research Center, 16% of Americans Say They Have Ever Invested in, Traded, or Used Cryptocurrency

Most Americans Misled by Covid Falsehoods

How many Americans have been snookered by Covid misinformation? Turns out, the majority of Americans have, according to a survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

The KFF survey presented a representative sample of the public with seven Covid-19 falsehoods. Respondents were asked 1) whether they had heard of the falsehood and believed it to be true, or 2) whether they had heard of the falsehood and did not know if it was true. Here are the seven falsehoods...

1. The government is exaggerating the number of Covid-19 deaths
2. Pregnant women should not get the Covid-19 vaccine
3. Deaths due to the Covid-19 vaccine are being intentionally hidden by the government
4. The Covid-19 vaccines have been shown to cause infertility
5. Ivermectin is a safe and effective treatment for Covid-19
6. You can get Covid-19 from the vaccine
7. The Covid-19 vaccines contain a microchip
8. The Covid-19 vaccines can change your DNA

All of these statements are false. But the 78 percent majority of Americans have heard of one or more of these falsehoods and believe it to be true or are not sure if it is true. Only 22 percent of the public does not believe any of the falsehoods, according to the KFF survey.

Who is most likely to believe/be unsure about one or more of these falsehoods? The usual suspects—the unvaccinated (95 percent), Republicans (94 percent), people who live in rural areas (86 percent), people without a college degree (83 percent), and people under age 50 (82 percent). 

But other demographic segments don't do much better. In fact, the majority of Americans in every demographic segment believes/is unsure about one or more of the falsehoods, including 71 percent of the vaccinated, 62 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of people who live in urban areas, 68 percent of college graduates, and 73 percent of people aged 50 or older. 

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation, KFF Covid-19 Vaccine Monitor: Media and Misinformation

Median Household Income of Married Couples Tops $100,000

The median household income of married couples has grown by leaps and bounds over the past half century, according to the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey. Take a look at the trend...

Median household income of married couples, 1970 to 2020 (in 2020 dollars)

2020: $101,240

2010:   $85,950

2000:   $89,081

1990:   $76,847

1980:   $69,405

1970:   $62,734

Between 1970 and 2020, the median household income of married couples grew by a huge 61 percent, after adjusting for inflation. In comparison, the median income of all households grew by a smaller 30 percent during those years. 

What accounts for the surge in the median income of married couples? Some of the increase—especially in the 1970s and 1980s—was due to the rise of dual-earner couples as a share of all married couples. Another factor is the rising income of women. Between 1970 and 2020, the median earnings of women who work full-time climbed 85 percent, after adjusting for inflation. The median earnings of their male counterparts grew just 13 percent during that time period. 

Perhaps the biggest factor boosting the incomes of married couples in recent years is what is called the marriage market. In the marriage market, the most desirable mates are those who make the most money. Among men, the married share ranges from a low of 33 percent among those with personal incomes below $25,000 to a high of 78 percent among those with incomes of $100,000 or more. The comparable figures for women are 41 and 67 percent. The marriage market explains the outsized gains for married couples.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the Census Bureau's Current Population Survey

800,000 Deaths by Year's End

The first recorded death from Covid-19 occurred on February 27, 2020, according to the CDC. By the end of the year, the virus had killed 363,934 Americans and Covid was the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind only heart disease and cancer. 

So far in 2021, Covid has killed 388,000 Americans—24,000 more than it killed last year. The number of Covid deaths this year surpassed the 2020 figure a few weeks ago on October 18—despite the fact that we now have an effective vaccine for the virus. Here are a few of Covid's grim milestones...

2020

February 27, 2020: first death from Covid

May 24, 2020: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 100,000

September 12, 2020: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 200,000

September 24, 2020: Covid becomes 3rd leading cause of death in 2020

December 9, 2020: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 300,000

December 31, 2020: official 2020 death toll from Covid is 363,934

2021

January 12, 2021: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 400,000

February 15, 2021: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 500,000 

April 4, 2021: Covid becomes 3rd leading cause of death in 2021

June 17, 2021: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 600,000

September 30, 2021: cumulative Covid deaths exceed 700,000

October 18, 2021: Covid deaths in 2021 exceed number in 2020

At the rate things are going, the cumulative number of deaths from Covid-19 will exceed 800,000 by the end of the year, with deaths in 2021 alone topping 400,000. 

Source: CDC, Covid Data Tracker

The Big Picture of the Housing Shortage

If you want to see why housing is so hot right now, take a look at the trends over the past decade. The number of occupied housing units (otherwise known as households, which are housing units with people in them) grew faster than the total number of housing units. Consequently, the number of vacant housing units fell between 2010 and 2020. 

Percent change in total, occupied, and vacant housing units, 2010 to 2020

Total housing units: 6.6%

Occupied housing units: 8.5%

Vacant housing units: -8.6%

The housing crunch differs by metropolitan status. In the nation's metropolitan areas, the number of households grew faster (up 9.9 percent) than the number of total housing units (7.9 percent) between 2010 and 2020. In nonmetropolitan areas, the number of households declined during the decade (-1.1 percent) but the number of total housing units fell even more (-2.7 percent). 

In both metro and nonmetro areas, then, the number of vacant housing units fell—a 9.4 percent drop in metro areas and an 8.4 percent decline in nonmetro areas. Consequently, no matter where you live or where you want to live, there is less housing to choose from and more competition for those seeking a home. 

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Growth Highest in Urban Cores of Fast-Growing Metros

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 3rd Quarter 2021

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, third quarter 2021: 48.9%

Homeownership rates in the third quarter of 2021 are little changed from rates in the previous two quarters  and well below the levels recorded in 2020—when the coronavirus pandemic greatly reduced the response rate to the Census Bureau's Housing Vacancy Survey and consequently distorted homeownership trends.  

The overall homeownership rate in the third quarter of 2021 was 65.4 percent, identical to the rate in the second quarter of 2021. The nation's homeownership rate peaked at 69.0 percent in 2004.

The homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds (the age group in which householders typically buy their first home) was a bit higher than the rate in the first two quarters of 2021 and could be a sign of increased homebuying in the age group. Except for the 50.1 percent blip in the third quarter of 2020, the homeownership rate of 30-to-34-year-olds has been below 50 percent in every quarter since the second quarter of 2011—the aftermath of the Great Recession. Until 2011, the age group's homeownership rate had never sunk below 50 percent in the data series that began in 1982. 

Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34 for selected years, 1982 to 2020 and by quarter in 2021

2021: 48.9% (third quarter)

2021: 48.0% (second quarter)

2021: 48.2% (first quarter)

2020: 49.1% (pandemic bump)

2019: 48.0%

2016: 45.4% (low point)

2015: 45.9%

2011: 49.8% (first time below 50 percent)

2010: 51.6%

2004: 57.4% (high point)

2000: 54.6%

1990: 51.8%

1982: 57.1% 

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey

Most Workers Favor Employer Vaccination Requirement

A growing share of U.S. workers say their employer is requiring Covid-19 vaccination, according to a Gallup survey. As of October, 36 percent of workers say their employer requires them to be vaccinated, up from 19 percent in August and just 5 percent in May. 

Most workers are happy about the requirement. The 56 percent majority of workers either favor (11 percent) or strongly favor (45 percent) a workplace vaccination requirement. That leaves a substantial 37 percent who oppose such a requirement, including 30 percent who strongly oppose.

By job area, blue-collar workers are least likely to have been vaccinated, with just 56 percent reporting having had the jab. A substantial 38 percent of blue-collar workers say they do not plan to get vaccinated.

Percent of workers who have been vaccinated (do not plan to get vaccinated)  

Total workers: 75% (21%)

White-collar: 80% (15%)

Blue collar: 56% (38%)

Note: Numbers do not add to 100% because those who said they planned to get vaccinated are not shown. 

Among workers in healthcare, 82 percent have been vaccinated, and 14 percent say they do not plan to be vaccinated. 

Source: Gallup, Covid-19 Vaccine Now Required for 36% of U.S. Workers