Fewer than One-Third of Adults Have a Landline Phone

Only 31 percent of American adults live in a household with a landline phone, according to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) survey fielded July-December 2021. Among children, the proportion who live in a household with a landline is an even smaller 20 percent. 

NCHS has been asking the public about its telephone status since 2003. The reason for doing so is to provide health researchers who conduct RDD (random-digit-dial) telephone surveys with information about how the cell phone population differs from the landline population. With this information, "survey research organizations can evaluate whether they have appropriately included this [cell phone] population in their telephone surveys," explains NCHS.

The 31 percent of adults who live in a household with a landline phone in 2021 was less than half of the 66 percent who had a landline phone in their household a decade ago. The figure fell below 50 percent for the first time in 2015.

Percent of adults who live in a household with a landline phone

2021: 31%

2016: 46%

2011: 66%

2007: 84%

2003: 95%

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Wireless Substitution: Early Release of Estimates from the National Health Interview Survey, July-December 2021 (PDF) and Early Release Reports on Wireless Substitution

Full-Service Restaurants Roar Back from the Pandemic

At least one thing is back to normal: food-away-from-home spending has returned to its top position in the food chain. With Covid receding, or increasingly ignored, Americans in 2021 spent more on "food away from home" than they did on "food at home"—a return to the normal pattern. Not only that, but food away from home spending reached a record high in 2021 of $463 billion. This was fully 21 percent more than in 2020, after adjusting for inflation.

The category "food away from home" includes the amount spent on food purchased from full-service and fast-food restaurants, bars, vending machines, schools and colleges, and places of recreation. The category "food at home" includes the amount spent on food purchased from grocery stores, convenience and other food stores, mail order, and farmer's markets. 

Annual spending on food (in billions of inflation-adjusted dollars)

	Food at home	Food away from home	difference
2021	$430	$463	–$32
2020	$414	$382	$32
2019	$398	$454	–$56

Within the food-away-from-home category, spending at both fast-food and full-service restaurants fell in 2020. Full-service restaurant spending dropped 27 percent between 2019 and 2020, and fast-food spending fell 6 percent. The 2021 rebound in full-service restaurant spending was impressive—an increase of 45 percent to a record high of $162 billion. Fast-food spending climbed 14 percent and hit a record high of $164 billion. 

In all but four years of the USDA's Food Expenditure data series, which dates back to 1997, spending at full-service restaurants has exceeded spending at fast-food restaurants. The first time when full-service dining fell behind fast-food was in 2010, a consequence of the Great Recession, but the difference was just 0.3 percent. The next time full-service spending fell behind fast-food spending was in 2019, the year before the pandemic—again, by just 0.3 percent. In 2020, full-service spending was a stunning 22 percent below fast-food. In 2021, full-service closed most of the gap and was just 1 percent behind fast-food. 

Source: USDA, Food Expenditure Series, Constant Dollar Food and Alcohol Expenditures, with Taxes and Tips, for All Purchasers

44% of Americans Know Someone Who Is Transgender

More than 100 million Americans (44 percent of adults) know someone who is transgender (their gender differs from their sex assigned at birth), according to the results of a Pew Research Center survey. More than 50 million (20 percent) know someone who is nonbinary (they identify as neither male nor female). 

Overall, 1.6 percent of adults are either transgender (0.6 percent) or nonbinary (1.0 percent). The figure is highest among 18-to-29-year-olds (5.1 percent) and falls with age. Among people aged 30 to 49, 1.6 percent say they are transgender or nonbinary. Among those aged 50 or older, the share is just 0.3 percent. 

The number of transgender and nonbinary adults may be small but their reach is large...

Percent who personally know someone who is transgender

Total aged 18-plus: 44%

Aged 18 to 49: 52%

Aged 30 to 49: 48%

Aged 50 to 64: 43%

Aged 65-plus: 33% 

Percent who personally know someone who is nonbinary

Total aged 18-plus: 20%

Aged 18 to 49: 37%

Aged 30 to 49: 24%

Aged 50 to 64: 13%

Aged 65-plus: 7% 

Source: Pew Research Center, About 5% of Young Adults in the U.S. Say Their Gender is Different from Their Sex Assigned at Birth

Marriages Fall To a Low Not Seen Since 1963

Americans are less inclined to marry these days. The pandemic didn't help matters. The marriage rate fell to 5.1 marriages per 1,000 population in 2020, according to the National Center for Health Statistics—yet another record low. The number of marriages fell to a level not seen since 1963. 

Marriage rate (and number of marriages), 2000 to 2020

2020: 5.1 (1.7 million)

2019: 6.1 (2.0 million)

2010: 6.8 (2.1 million)

2000: 8.2 (2.3 million)

Marriages were not the only vital statistic affected by the pandemic. Both the divorce rate and the number of divorces, which had already been on a downward slide, plunged in 2020 as the pandemic forced couples to hunker down. The divorce rate fell to a level not seen since 1961. There were fewer divorces than in any year since 1968.

Divorce rate (and number of divorces), 2000 to 2020

2020: 2.3 (631,000)

2019: 2.7 (747,000)

2010: 3.6 (872,000)

2000: 4.0 (944,000)

Marriage and divorce are likely to rebound as the effects of the pandemic fade. But because marriage and divorce were both in a long-term decline when the pandemic hit, the rebound could be short-lived.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Marriage and Divorce, National Marriage and Divorce Rate Trends for 2000–2020

Most Americans Rarely or Never Read a Newspaper

Only 21 percent of Americans aged 18 or older read a newspaper every day, according to the 2021 General Social Survey. Readership has plummeted since 1972 when the 69 percent majority of the American public read a newspaper every day. 

Now, the share of adults who never read a newspaper (40 percent) is far greater than the share who read a newspaper daily. Fully 57 percent of the public reads a newspaper less than once a week or never. 

Frequency of reading a newspaper in 2021 and 1972

	2021	1972
Every day	21%	69%
Few times a week	14	15
Once a week	9	8
Less than once a week	17	4
Never	40	4

During the past 50 years, there have been two periods of decline in "every day" newspaper readership. The first occurred during the 1970s. Between 1972 and 1982, the percentage of adults who read a newspaper every day fell from 69 to 52 percent—a 17 percentage point drop. One factor behind the decline was the expansion of television news. 

Daily newspaper readership stabilized during the 1980s and was still at 52 percent in 1991. Then the internet happened. By 2002, the share who read a newspaper every day had fallen to 42 percent. By 2012, it was just 27 percent. Now at 21 percent, how much lower can it go?

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the General Social Survey

It's Getting Worse

In the 2020-21 school year, 145 elementary/middle/secondary schools in the United States experienced a school shooting—a record high. Not only that, but 2020-21 was the first year in which there were more school shootings at elementary schools (59) than at high schools (57), according to an analysis of the K-12 School Shooting Database by the National Center for Education Statistics. 

Number of public or private elementary-secondary schools with shootings, 2015-16 to 2020-21

2020-21: 145 

2019-20: 114

2018-19: 113

2017-18:   89

2016-17:   47

2015-16:   38

Forty-six people died from school shootings in 2020-21, below the record high of 52 fatalities from school shootings in 2017-18—the year of the shooting at Marjory Stoneham Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. The fatality data for 2021-22 have yet to be released.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics, Condition of Education, Violent Deaths at School and Away from School and School Shootings and Digest of Education Statistics, Table 228.12

Many Say Coronavirus Pandemic Is Over

A substantial 34 percent of the American public say the coronavirus pandemic is over, according to a recent Gallup survey. Of course, Republicans and Democrats have very different perspectives...

Percent who say coronavirus pandemic is over

Democrats: 10%

Republicans: 66%

Although more than one-third of all adults think the coronavirus pandemic is over, just 21 percent say their own life is somewhat or completely back to pre-pandemic normal. 

Fully 50 percent of Americans say their lives will never return to normal.

Source: Gallup, One in Three Americans Think Pandemic Is Over

Large Cities Lost 0.4% of Population between 2020-21

Between 2020 and 2021, the first year of the pandemic, the population of the nation's 798 large cities (defined as incorporated places with populations of 50,000 or more in 2021) fell by 0.4 percent—a loss of 505,000 people. The remainder of the United States grew 0.4 percent, a gain of 898,000 people. The 2020-21 pattern is a reversal of the trend from the previous decade when large cities grew faster than the remainder of the country. Overall, the United States grew by just 0.1 percent between 2020 and 2021, the slowest population growth in U.S. history.

The largest cities—the nine with populations of 1 million or more (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Diego, and Dallas)—experienced the biggest population loss between 2020 and 2021—a 1.7 percent decline. The nation's largest city—New York— lost 3.5 percent of its residents. Regardless of city size, however, growth was nothing to write home about...

City population growth 2020-2021 by city size

1 million or more: -1.7%
500,000 to 999,999: -0.7%
250,000 to 499,999: -0.1%
200,000 to 249,999:  0.3%
150,000 to 199,999: -0.1%
100,000 to 149,999:  0.0%
50,000 to 99,999: 0.2%

It remains to be seen whether the coronavirus pandemic is the cause of the reversal of the previous decade's city population trends. During the 2010s, the growth rate of the nation's large cities was slowing as the decade progressed. The 2020-21 loss is likely a continuation of the slowdown, exacerbated by the pandemic. 

Source: Census Bureau, City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2021

11% Say Crime Makes it Unsafe to Walk

How many Americans feel unsafe walking because of crime? That question was included in the 2020 National Health Interview Survey along with several others meant to probe perceptions of the walking environment. 

Overall, 11 percent of people aged 18 or older say crime makes it unsafe for them to walk. Women are more likely to feel that way (13 percent) than men (9 percent). Here are the percentages for women and men by age...

Percent of women (and men) who say crime makes it unsafe for them to walk

Aged 18 to 24: 17.1% (9.3%)

Aged 25 to 44: 14.1% (10.1%)

Aged 45 to 64: 12.7% (8.9%)

Aged 65-plus: 9.9% (6.5%)

The perception that crime makes it unsafe to walk falls with age—particularly among women. 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Felt that Crime Makes it Unsafe to Walk, by Sex and Age Group—National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020

Men's College Enrollment Rate Falls to 38-Year Low

The percentage of male high school graduates who enroll in college soon after graduating from high school fell to the lowest level in almost 40 years, according to government data. Among 16-to-24-year-old men who graduated from high school in 2021, just 54.9 percent had enrolled in college by October of that year. The 2021 enrollment rate is a hefty 4.4 percentage points below the 2020 figure and fully 12.5 percentage points below the all-time high recorded in 2016. Not since 1983 has the male enrollment rate been lower.

Male college enrollment rate for selected years 

2021: 54.9%

2020: 59.3%

2016: 67.4% (record high)

2010: 62.8%

2000: 59.9%

1990: 58.0%

1980: 46.7%

1970: 55.2%

1960: 54.0%

Note: The college enrollment rate is the percentage of 16-to-24-year-olds who graduated from high school in a given year and were enrolled in college by October of that year. 

While men's college enrollment rate fell between 2020 and 2021, the enrollment rate of women increased by 3.3 percentage points to 69.5 percent. Women's 2021 rate is not far from the all-time high of 74.0 percent reached in 2010. 

The gap between women's and men's college enrollment rates has never been larger. With an enrollment rate of 69.5 percent for women and just 54.9 percent for men in 2021, the difference between women's and men's college enrollment rates is nearly 15 percentage points.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, TED: The Economics Daily, 61.8 Percent of Recent High School Graduates Enrolled in College in October 2021, and National Center for Education Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics, Table 302.10

28% Live Close to All or Most Extended Family

Imagine living within an hour's drive of your entire extended family—meaning "children, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, and in-laws." A substantial 28 percent of Americans aged 18 or older do live that close to "all or most" of their extended family, according to a Pew Research Center survey. This group, in fact, outnumbers all the others...

How many extended family members live within an hour's drive?

28%: all or most

27%: some 

24%: only a few

20%: none

The share of Americans who live near all or most of their extended family varies by demographic characteristic. By race and Hispanic origin, Blacks (31 percent) and Hispanics (31 percent) are most likely to live close to family, followed by non-Hispanic whites (29 percent). Asians (18 percent) are least likely to live close to family. In fact, fully 33 percent of Asians say none of their extended family is within an hour's drive.

The chances of living near all or most extended family is increasingly rare with rising education. Among adults with no more than a high school diploma, 34 percent say they are within an hour's drive of all or most of their extended family. Among those with a graduate degree, the figure is just 16 percent. Fully 32 percent of those with a graduate degree say none of their extended family is nearby. 

By region, living within an hour's drive to all or most extended family is most common among residents of the Midwest (33 percent) and Northeast (32 percent), followed by the South (28 percent). It is least common in the West (22 percent). 

Source: Pew Research Center, More than Half of Americans Live within an Hour of Extended Family

Democrats Continue to Outnumber Republicans

The political affiliations of the American public have not changed much in decades. According to the 2021 General Social Survey, 44 percent of people aged 18 or older identify themselves as Democrats, 30 percent as Republicans, and 23 percent as independents. Here's the GSS question: "Generally speaking, do you usually think of yourself as a Republican, Democrat, Independent, or what?"

Among the 44 percent of Americans who identify as a Democrat, nearly 19 percent say they are a "strong" Democrat, 14 percent are "not very strong," and 12 percent think of themselves as independent but close to a Democrat. Millennials, Gen Xers, and Boomers are about equally likely to think of themselves as Democrats, with 41 percent of Gen Xers, 44 percent of Boomers, and 45 percent of Millennials doing so.

Among the 30 percent of Americans who identify as a Republican, 13 percent say they are a "strong" Republican, 9 percent are "not very strong," and 8 percent think of themselves as independent but close to a Republican. Millennials are much less likely than older generations to identify as Republican, with only 23 percent doing so. Among Gen Xers, 38 percent call themselves a Republican. The figure is 36 percent among Boomers.

Political party identification of Americans aged 18 or older, 2000 to 2021

	Democrat	Republican	independent
2021	44.2%	30.2%	23.0%
2016	47.5	32.8	17.1
2010	45.8	32.8	18.8
2000	43.2	34.8	20.4

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2021 General Social Survey

Disparities in Gun Ownership

Gun ownership is common in the United States. Overall, 40 percent of Americans say they or someone in their household owns a gun, according to a 2021 survey by Pew Research Center. 

Surprisingly, the differences in gun ownership by age or education are small. By age, the range is from 35 percent among 18-to-29-year-olds to 42 percent among those aged 50 or older—a 6 percentage point difference. By education, the range is from 33 percent among those with a graduate degree to 45 percent among those with some college—a 12 percentage point gap. 

The gap in gun ownership is much larger by race, type of residence, and political affiliation...

 

PERCENTAGE WITH GUN(S) IN HOUSEHOLD

Total adults: 40%

Race and Hispanic origin

47% of non-Hispanic whites

37% of Blacks

26% of Hispanics

20% of Asians

Difference between highest and lowest: 27 percentage points

Rural-urban status

53% of rural

40% of suburban

29% of urban

Difference between highest and lowest: 24 percentage points

Political party affiliation

54% of Republicans

31% of Democrats

Difference between highest and lowest: 23 percentage points

Source: Pew Research Center, Key Facts about Americans and Guns

Changes in Computer Use: 2011 to 2021

The federal government has been tracking computer and internet use in the United States since the 1990s—the beginning of the internet era for the general public. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) partners with the Census Bureau to probe the public's use of computing devices by adding question about device ownership, use, and internet access to the Current Population Survey. The latest survey results, collected by the November 2021 Current Population Survey, found the great majority of Americans using the internet. 

Overall, 80 percent of the population aged 3 (yes, three) or older reported using the internet in the 2021 survey. The way the public accesses the internet has changed over the past decade. Here are the trends in device use among people aged 3-plus...

Use a smartphone

2021: 70%

2011: 27%

Use a laptop computer

2021: 49%

2011: 43%

Use a tablet computer

2021: 30%

2011:   6%

Use a desktop computer

2021: 28%

2011: 45%

Use a wearable

2021: 16%

2015:   1% (first year question asked)

Use a smart TV

2021: 48%

2011: 14%

Source: NTIA, New NTIA Data Show Enduring Barriers to Closing the Digital Divide, Achieving Digital Equity

Here's Why Pandemic Was So Hard on Families

The latest statistics on the labor force participation of women with children under age 18 shows why the pandemic has been so hard on families. With the great majority of mothers in the labor force, family life was thrown into turmoil as day care arrangements closed and schooling turned remote. Below is a comparison of the labor force participation rates of mothers in 2021 with their counterparts in 1975 by age of child...

Labor force participation rate of all women with children under age 18

2021: 71.2%

1975: 47.4%

Percentage point change: +23.8

Labor force participation rate of women with children aged 6-17, none younger

2021: 75.5%

1975: 54.9%

Percentage point change: +20.6

Labor force participation rate of women with children under age 6

2021: 65.6%

1975: 39.0%

Percentage point change: +26.6

Labor force participation rate of women with children under age 3

2021: 63.1%

1975: 34.3%

Percentage point change: +28.8

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Characteristics of Families—2021 and Women in the Labor Force: A Databook 2020

59% Know Someone Who Had an Abortion

Most Americans personally know someone who has had an abortion, according to a Pew Research Center survey fielded in March—prior to the leaking of the Supreme Court's draft opinion in a case challenging Roe v. Wade. "Personally know" is defined as a close friend, family member, or themselves.

There are surprisingly few differences by demographic characteristic in the share of Americans who personally know someone who has had an abortion. At least 50 percent of every demographic segment—with the exception of the youngest adults—personally know someone who has had an abortion. 

Personally know someone who has had an abortion

Total 18-plus: 59%

Aged 18 to 29: 46%

Aged 30 to 49: 60%

Aged 50 to 64: 65%

Aged 65-plus: 60%

Blacks: 67%

Hispanics: 50%

Whites: 61%

Democrats: 62%

Republicans: 57%

Catholics: 55%

Protestants: 61%

White evangelicals: 58%

No religion: 61%

Women (66 percent) are much more likely than men (51 percent) to personally know someone who has had an abortion. This pattern holds true in every demographic segment. 

Source: Pew Research Center, America's Abortion Quandary

Decline in Real Median Annual Earnings of Men

Men of prime working age have not made any economic progress over the past 30 years, according to an analysis by the Social Security Administration. Among men aged 20 to 59, median earnings stagnated or declined between 1989 and 2019, after adjusting for inflation. Here are the numbers...

Real median annual earnings of men aged 20 to 29

2019: $26,830

1989: $26,830

Change: $0

Percent change: 0.0

Real median annual earnings of men aged 30 to 39

2019: $49,540

1989: $50,680

Change: -$1,140

Percent change: -2.2

Real median annual earnings of men aged 40 to 49

2019: $59,470

1989: $64,130

Change: -$4,660

Percent change: -7.3

Real median annual earnings of men aged 50 to 59

2019: $59,220

1989: $61,820

Change: -$2,600

Percent change: -4.2

Fortunately for the nation's families, the real median earnings of women increased during those years, more than making up for men's losses. The real median annual earnings of women aged 20 to 29 increased by $1,490 between 1989 and 2019. The earnings of women aged 30 to 39 grew by $6,520. Those for women aged 40 to 49 grew by $8,200, and the earnings of women aged 50 to 59 grew by $9,730.

Source: Social Security Administration, Earnings of Men Aged 20–59, 1989–2019 and Earnings of Women Aged 20–59, 1989–2019

One in Five Teenagers Is Obese

The percentage of teenagers who are obese has more than quadrupled in the past 40 years, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Among 12-to-19-year-olds, just 5.0 percent were obese in the 1976–1980 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Forty years later in 2017–2018, a much larger 21.2 percent of teenagers were obese. Obesity is defined as a sex-specific BMI (body mass index) at or above the 95th percentile for the age group in the CDC's 2000 Growth Charts.

Percent of 12-to-19-year-olds who are obese

2017–2018: 21.2%

2007–2008: 18.1%

1999–2000: 14.8%

1976–1980:   5.0%

Teen boys are more likely than teen girls to be obese—22.5 percent of boys and 19.9 percent of girls were obese in 2017–2018. 

Obesity is a growing problem for younger children as well. In the 6-to-11 age group, 20.3 percent were obese in 2017–18 (up from 6.5 percent in 1976–1980). Among children aged 2-to-5, a substantial 13.4 percent were obese in 2017–2018 (up from 5.0 percent in 1976–1980). 

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, Prevalence of Overweight, Obesity, and Severe Obesity among Children and Adolescents Aged 2–19 Years: United States, 1963–1965 through 2017–2018

Most Americans Support the Right to Abortion

If the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, as now appears likely, it will be in defiance of public opinion. The great majority of Americans support abortion rights. Take a look at the latest numbers from the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS)...

89% think abortion should be legal if a woman's health is seriously endangered

84% think abortion should be legal if a woman becomes pregnant as a result of rape

77% think abortion should be legal if there is a strong chance of serious defect in the baby

54% think abortion should be legal if a woman wants it for any reason

The General Social Survey has been probing the public's attitudes toward legal abortion since 1972. In that year, 87 percent thought abortion should be legal if a woman's health was seriously endangered. Seventy-nine percent favored legal abortion in the case of rape, and 79 percent supported the right to abortion if there was a serious defect in the baby. For the past 50 years, the public has overwhelmingly supported the right to legal abortion in these circumstances.  

The broader question—whether abortion should be legal if a woman wants one for any reason—was first asked by the GSS in 1977. In that year, only 37 percent of the public supported legal abortion for any reason. The figure inched upward over the years, surpassing 50 percent for the first time in 2018. The 54 percent of 2021 is an all-time high for this measure. 

Perhaps tellingly, support for a woman's right to a legal abortion for any reason does not vary much by age. Among 18-to-44-year-olds, 57 percent support a woman's right to choose. The share is 53 percent in the 45-to-64 age group and 52 percent among those aged 65 or older. Among men, 53 percent support the right to abortion for any reason. Among women, the share is 56 percent.

With this kind of long-term and widespread support for legal abortion, at least in some circumstances, the public is not likely to let these rights go without a fight. Politicians take note.

Source: Demo Memo analysis of the 2021 General Social Survey

First-Time Homebuyer Watch: 1st Quarter 2022

 Homeownership rate of householders aged 30 to 34, first quarter 2022: 49.0%

Homeownership rates in the first quarter of 2022 were little changed from rates in 2021 and 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 first quarter of 2022 was 65.4 percent, nearly identical to the 65.5 percent annual rate 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) climbed to 49.0 percent in the first quarter of 2022. This is a bit higher than the age group's 2021 annual rate of 48.4. More significantly, it is the highest quarterly rate for the age group since 2011—if the pandemic distorted rates of 2020 are excluded. Until 2011, the age group's homeownership rate had never sunk below 50 percent in the data series that began in 1982. Will the homeownership rate of the age group finally surpass 50 percent in the months to come? Stay tuned.

Source: Census Bureau, Housing Vacancy Survey