Growing Diversity Among Americas Children and Youth: Spatial and Temporal Dimensions, Kenneth Johnson, UNH professor of sociology and senior demographer at the UNH Carsey Institute, and Daniel Lichter, Ferris Family Professor in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management at Cornell University.
“Americas rapidly changing racial and ethnic composition has been fueled by extraordinary growth of the Hispanic population… Hispanics today represent 15 percent of the USpopulation (US Census Bureau 2008b), but they accounted for more than one-half of all US population growth between 2000 and 2008…Our research documents the demographic forces that have placed todays young people in the vanguard of Americas new racial and ethnic diversity. The seeds of diversity are being sown today by immigration and high fertility, which are revealed in growing racial and ethnic diversity among Americas children and youth. In many parts of the United States, the future is now. This article has several goals. First, we use up-to-date census population estimates to document recent increases in the racial and ethnic mix of Americas youth, especially its youngest children (i.e., those aged 04 years). Predictably, growing racial diversity has been caused by rapid growth of minority children, especially Hispanic children, but perhaps less predictably by absolute numerical declines of non-Hispanic white children. Second, we show how national patterns have manifested themselves unevenly over geographic space. More than 500 US counties in 2008 had majority-minority populations of children, a number considerably higher than for the US population overall. Third, we document childrens growing exposure to racial diversity in the areas where they live. We provide new estimates based on the so-called diversity index. The frequent claim that we live in an increasingly multiracial or multicultural societya fact that is both celebrated and feareddoes not necessarily mean that national patterns are visible at the local or regional level.”
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