How significant a factor do these demographics play?
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Monica DiLeo
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Monica DiLeo I think that these demographics play a huge role in our government. Religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender all play significant roles in shaping a person’s political and social beliefs, and therefore influence how that Congressperson will vote on legislation and politically behave. In addition, America is the typical melting pot nation. We are known for having diverse cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles. Because our government is supposed to be representative of this diversity, and represent even the interests of the smallest minorities, it is important that our representation in Congress is also reflective of the population. The male/female ratio is nearly 4.5 to 1, which is outrageous in a country that is approximately half female and half male. Women’s minds often think in different ways and have different interests, and it is important that these interests are equally represented in our government, because half of our country has these interests. In addition, diverse racial representation in Congress is also important, because different races and ethnic groups often have different interests and needs, and it is important that there is a representative number of Congressmen and women to vocalize these interests. Finally, different religious groups have differing moral values, and as much as I believe church and government should be completely separate, religious views often affect the decisions of representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. Because the United States has a plethora of very different religions, it is important that representatives of all religions have a voice in Congress, because that way the varying views and morals of the United States population will be represented in the government. However, there is an important issue that needs to be addressed in the practicality of a truly representative Congress. To start, there aren’t exactly 385 districts made up of Caucasian populations, 64 primarily African-American districts, 86 entirely Hispanic districts, etc., as would be suggested with a truly representative Congress. In reality, a district may be 75% Caucasian, 15% African American, and 10% Asian American. Even though three different racial groups have a presence in this district, only one representative of one race will be elected. Because this district is predominantly white, it is likely that this representative will be white. However because of this, there are now African American people and Asian Americans who are not having their race represented. Though America’s representative democracy is flawed in this aspect, I still personally believe that it is the most effective system to deal with these complicated factors.
Demographics including gender, race, and religion play a huge role in America’s political system. These demographic affect Americans political attitude and affiliation. It is important that these groups of people are represented fairly in Congress to let their voice be heard. However, it is near impossible to include every variety of American citizen. Gender had the largest variation in Congress from the reflective. Women were greatly outnumbered by men 91 to 448, while in the real world the actual ratio is roughly 50 to 50. Females and males often times have contrasting views on issues and it is unfair for the outnumbered women representatives to have their voice be heard. Half of our country may have the same interests as the women in government, but it would not translate that way in Congress. Second, race has a significant impact upon Americans’ political views. For the past half-century African Americans have been the most loyal Democrats than any other identifiable group. Latinos as a whole have a tendency to vote Democratic also. However, different Latino groups such as Mexican Americans or Cuban Americans can have different voting patterns. Unfortunately, these affiliations are barely represented correctly in Congress. Based on America’s population, there should have been 86 Hispanics in congress, but instead there was only 27. This lack in representation is unfair to the rapidly increasing number of Latino-Americans who are known to have conflicting views on issues that won’t be presented in government. Lastly, religion is known to affect Americans political ideas. Jewish voters are more likely to support Democrats than are Catholics or Protestants. Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues (such as minimum wage and taxes) than they are on social issues (such as abortion and divorce). The protestant religion was over represented in Congress with 305 representatives instead of just 222 needed to properly embody the Protestant religion in America. As a result, other religions such as Hindu were nonexistent in Congress, when 3 representatives or senators should have stood in government for the religion. Atheist senators or representatives were also not present while there should have been 70, a decent amount of representation. In conclusion, demographics such as gender, race, and religion contribute to American political attitudes and behavior. These attitudes determine how Americans participate, whom they vote for, and what political parties they support.
It is evident that demographics play an enormous role in government, whether it is your religious affiliation or the color of your skin. These simple alterations are in actuality can extremely affect the way a member of Congress would vote. For example, Latinos and African Americans have the proclivities to vote Democratic, while Caucasians can lean toward the right side of the political spectrum, but traditionally are split down the middle. The representation of ethnicities in Congress is in no way proportional to the actual population of the United States, as demonstrated in the chart. For one thing, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and American Indians would hold more positions, while the only ethnicity that would decrease is Caucasian. While many argue that this unbalanced Congress should not differ in its viewpoints from it if it were proportional, it is proven that ethnicity directly correlates with viewpoints on key issues. One thing race would affect would be the distribution of liberals versus conservatives. If ethnicity were proportional in Congress, liberals would be much more prominent than they are currently, with the possibility of even a majority.
Religion plays a role as well when justifying key issues. For example, those who are Catholic are more likely to vote pro-life versus those whose religions do not conflict with the issue concerning abortion. Specifically, Catholics are liberal when it comes to economic issues, and more conservative on social issues. Jews on the other hand, are more likely to support Democratic ideologies than Catholics and other Christians. If religion were to be equally proportional to the population, Christians and Jews would decrease significantly, while many religions would even need to be added to Congress.
Perhaps the most startling difference is the gender ratio in Congress. Women’s role is shockingly much less than that of men. The distribution should be about 50/50, but in actuality women are only represented in a ratio of 448:91. This is shocking because the media tends to focus on the ethnicity and background of a candidate rather than their gender, and it seems relatively unknown that such a barrier between men and women still exists. This unbalance absolutely affects the political affiliations represented in Congress as well as how they should decide on issues that may be more pertinent to themselves like that of abortion. Generally, women tend to vote more liberal than men, which would affect the distribution of Republicans and Democrats. In conclusion, Congress may never be representative of the actual nation, which means that decisions made may not showcase the real decisions that citizens would make based on their gender, ethnicity, and religion. Political affiliations are and will undoubtedly remain directly related to these demographics, but only when these demographics are proportional in Congress will Congress truly be representative.
We’ve all been taught in third grade that America is a melting pot with many races, political ideologies, and religions, however, when we go to Capitol Hill on the eighth grade field trip, all we have to say is “what happened?” From what the charts are showing, the majority of the US Congress is made up of white, Protestant, males from either the Republican or Democratic parties. This doesn’t seem like much of a melting pot at first glance however, when you compare the current representatives with the reflective one there isn’t too much of a difference except in the gender and political party affiliation categories. In regards to religion, there is currently 57% protestant members compared to the reflective 51% Protestant members. It is very close to the representative number. Currently there are 29% Catholics and if it were reflective there would be 23% Catholics. This number is very close as well. The only much underrepresented group would be the unaffiliated who currently have 0% of representation, compared to 16% they should have if it was reflected. The current demographics with religion aren’t too bad compared to what it should be if it was reflected. Race doesn’t seem too big of an issue in the demographics because Caucasian is the majority even with a reflective congress however, there is quite a gap between current and reflective statistics. Currently there are 84% of whites in congress and with reflective government there would be 68%. There is currently 8% of Africa Americans in congress and there would only be 11% in a reflective congress. There is currently 5% of Hispanics and 15% would be in a reflective congress. There is 1% of Asians in congress right now and there would only be 4% in a reflective government. So the numbers are somewhat representative. They are not nearly as bad as people make them out to be, and each race is getting representation close to the amount of people of their race in the country. The race that is lagging behind is Hispanics, so they would be underrepresented in this case. The two demographics that are extremely unfair are gender and political parties. Males currently make up 83% of Congress where in a reflective congress they would share power equally 50/50. Also other political parties make up less than 1% where in an ideal congress they would make up 15%. They are extremely underrepresented. People seem to make a big deal out of the “unfair” majority of certain races and religions that are currently in congress however, their numbers closely match the reflective congress. It’s the unfair amount of males and just two political parties that make congress unrepresentative. Women aren’t getting their voice heard with only 17% in congress and the nation isn’t just solely two parties. These areas are where Congress needs to get a drastic shift. The control of the two party systems seems sort of inevitable at this point, but more women should be heard in Congress because they are the most underrepresented group at this time.
It is definitely appropriate to assume that demographics play a significant role in the United States government. Whether it be the congress member's religion, sexual orientation, occupational background, or race, it will most definitely influence their vote in some way or another. For example, many African Americans and Hispanics vote Democrat, while very religious Christians tend to vote Republican. America is known as a diverse nation of equality. To truly represent the country's population the government would have to be distributed evenly based on number of people that are a part of each race. Realistically, we are close to this in the current Congress. For example, proper representation is so important because, these days, illegal immigration from our southern border is a serious issue and Hispanics need to be present in Congress to protect and benefit the legal population. Women are severely outnumbered in today's Congress, which is rather appalling because our population is not sufficiently male dominate. Psychology proves the differences in the way a man and woman's mind functions and what their priorities are. To appropriately represent nearly half our population, proper representation is absolutely necessary. Women have different goals, so it is crucial that they are spoken for. Perhaps most obvious is the Republican to Democrat ratio in Congress. The individual backgrounds of each member have a major effect on their affiliation of choice (or non affiliation). I think that the Reflective Congress is unrealistic. Too many Americans have opinions of one thing or another to have such a large independent population. Obviously this demographic within Congress is crucial to what gets done and what bills get passed into law. A person's background puts them in categories and these eventually determine what they agree with and what they vote for. Though the demographics in Congress are not what they should be to properly represent every group in the United States, our government is still the best way to get things done to the most citizens' satisfaction.
The demographics shown on the chart reflects the current “representatives” of our country, which are deemed important for the functions of the U.S. government. The categories such as gender, religion, political views and race vary based on the diverse personal beliefs. I believe that these demographics are crucial for shaping Americans’ opinions and beliefs on current politics. For example, certain religious aspects will affect a person’s decision on major issues such as abortion and same sex marriage. Over 60% of conservatives believe that religion is the most important influence on their opinion against same sex marriage. On the other hand, only 5% of liberals depend on their religious aspects for their opinion on the same issue. This is under the condition that the percentage of religion is out of proportion to the population of the U.S. As seen on the chart, more representatives of other types of religion would become apparent if they were proportional to the population. If the right side of the demographics chart becomes reality, the percentage of protestant and catholic will decrease as it averages out with the addition of “other” kinds of faith.
Furthermore, the gender ratio stood out on the chart based on its great differences. Currently the amount of female representatives is less than a quarter to the male population. This demonstrated that women today are still under represented at all levels of the government. Again, the right side of the chart displays the demographically correct 50-50% of sex ratio in the current U.S. government. Here the equality issue is solved, but this solution seems unreal when current beliefs and statistics are applied to it. Similarly, the two political parties revealed different backgrounds and beliefs on political and social issues. The percentage of Democrats and Republicans almost dominated the pie chart. Like religion in this country, if the representatives in government allow it to be demographically correct based on U.S. population, the percentage of the two parties will eventually drop. This brings out the importance of a proportionally representative U.S. government for the future.
In the final analysis, the diverse interests and beliefs of U.S. citizens all result in different requirements of their backgrounds. Therefore it is essential for racial representation to occur in Congress. The current status of the U.S. Congress demographic is largely out of proportion. This has to be changed in order to create a more effective voting and legislation process.
Our Congressmen are not normal people. That has been planned and palpable since the group of lawyers, bankers, and politicians known as the Founding Fathers created our nation. Trying to compare out Congressmen to the normal population is akin to comparing the average salaries of CEOs to the rest of the world: It'g going to be different.
Middle to high class, wealthy, and commanding men and women are politicians for a reason: they're good at it. If that is not representative of the population as a whole, then so be it. It does not matter that we have fewer Asian Americans in Congress than would be representative: Asian Americans don't vote or care. (Generalizing of course, but a mostly accurate generalization) The people in Congress are the people that were elected there. If no one wanted to vote for low income, less educated, minority females, then that is the choice of America.
Our democracy has flaws, but the lack of choice is not one of them. Anyone motivated to run can make an attempt, and if America truly wants that minority female, then there would be more minority females in Congress. The demographics of our Senators and Representatives should not be a foundation for claims of racism, injustice, or anything of the ilk.
Alfred Kroqi Demographics play a significant role in electing representatives. In our daily lives, we judge people by their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Many of us try not to but it is human instinct to have a preconception about something based upon its appearance. Demographics are important in voting for representatives. It is a well known fact many African Americans, Hispanics and Gays vote democratic. The same is true for most upper middle class to high class white men voting republican. More women are democratic then men. These are just observations of people's political affiliations throughout the years. The current congress is not reflective of our society at all but this is not because of a lack of opportunity. Everyone despite their demographics has a chance to be elected as a representative. Men, women, whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and gays all have the same chance to be elected. Our current congress is a majority male, majority republican, majority Caucasian and majority protestant. This is because those people went out and campaigned and worked hard to get to the position they are at. No seat was just given to them.
The many demographics that our nation has play a great role in the election of who will represent us. America may be known as a great melting pot, but the current state of Congress is no where near a good mix of the many demographics. This is a problem becasue the legislative government that represents our entire nation is not proportional to the demographics that exist. The government should reflect and represent the citizens to ensure that everyones views and beliefs are not overlooked. First off the majority of congress is male, which does not correspond with the population of the us and the fact that there are just as many men as women. Secondly only 2 independents currently hold seats in congress, there should be 81. Religions and races are represented anywhere near being correct. All of the demographics pictured in the chart are very important because they represent the entire nation and the many different components, such as religion, race, political affiliation, and gender.
I definitely believe that demographics play a large role in todays government. Demographics such as race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, party affiliation, and gender play significant roles in how people vote and behave. Knowing that America is thought of as a melting pot means that our government should be reflective of the nation we live in. Knowing that the congressional ration of male/female participants is 448 to 91, about 4.5 to1, is rather ridiculous considering that fact that the nation is made us of about equal amounts of both genders. Women are greatly outnumbered in congress and are often seen as contrasting view on issues simply because there are not enough women to have the majority vote for what they believe in. We would never know if women's views in congress are similar to the 50% of women out of congress because most of their ideas are not publicized because of how outnumbered and outlandish they appear. Religion also plays a large role when speaking of important issues. One example is abortion. When determining whether you are pro life of pro choice people usually look to their religion or lack there of. Those people that are strongly affiliated with their religion specifically have stronger views against abortion. It is also reflective that many religions are not represented in congress and should therefore be added. These demographics are not representative of the melting pot we are said to live in and should be changed so that the best interests of our diverse population are represented.
America has some problems with its demographics in congress not being an exactly representative population according to the demographics of our country as a whole. The most obvious of these discrepancies is the male to female ratio; there is also a noticeable difference in regards to the Hispanic population in congress and the hispanic population in America. One very important thing to think about is how all of these demographics play a role in the decisions made by congress. Certainly, these are factors that do change a person's beliefs and perspectives even though we would not always like to admit it. However, nothing can be done to change this situation until a more diverse demographic starts running for congressional seats. For more women and hispanics cannot serve unless they are elected and they cannot be elected unless they run. Really, when it comes down to it, it it something that the american people must change if they desire to and is, for the most part, out of the government's control.
Though America itself is a melting pot of diversity, its Representatives certainly are not. Even though the population is roughly 50/50 men and women, out of our Representatives, 448 members are male and only 91 are female. Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans are also severely underrepresented when taking into account the proportion they represent in our population. Another discrepancy is that even though about 30% of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with the Democrats or Republicans, our Representatives are clearly cut either Democrat or Republican, with only two falling into another category. There is also a disproportionate representation of religious beliefs - there are far more Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in Congress than is proportional to their numbers in the United States’ actual population. Lastly, there are far more Republicans in Congress than the proportional amount of Republicans in America. It is clear that our supposed “representation” is not exactly representative. It is tough to argue that America is a perfect democracy with such a glaring issue like this. As a result of this representation that isn’t actual proportional to the views and diversity of the American population, the political desires of Americans are not truly being presented to our government. Because minorities are not as large a part of Congress as they should be, their rights are not being protected as well as they should by the government. Because there is such a significantly lower number of women in Congress than men, the views and beliefs of females will have a harder time permeating through legislation. The stereotype of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male running America is perceived as something of the past, as minorities are becoming a larger part of the population and we have our first black president. Despite this changing overall perception, that stereotype is still prominent when it comes to America’s legislators. Though our population seems to be very diverse, the way it works it out when it comes to election times is that we continue to elect the same type of traditional politicians. Demographics play a huge role in shaping policy. Representatives who come from different ethnic, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds have different perspectives on what needs to be done in America, and what areas specifically need the most improvement. Because our Representatives are not truly representative, modern day American ideals cannot be properly enacted through the government.
Although the “melting pot” type of demographics of the United States clearly does not coincide with the demographics of our representative congress, it is extremely difficult to compare these people that have been elected to the normal population. They are politicians and the very high majority of them are upper class, wealthy and educated citizens that come from a highly respected previous position. It is challenging trying to compare them to America because much of this country is not wealthy upper class and some are not educated as well. In my opinion, it seems to be an apples and oranges type of comparison. These congressmen ran for election and earned their way to where they are. Although we do not always agree with the decisions that they make over there on Capitol Hill, we did, after all, elect them to represent us because we agreed with the majority of their beliefs and felt that they were the most qualified of our options to serve us accurately. Maybe it would benefit us to have a congress that was more demographically representative of our nation in regards to how much race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and religion affect one’s beliefs and opinions, but as for now I personally feel that that does not matter as much as some feel it does. It would be difficult to find people that are exactly representative of this country who are as experienced and qualified as the senators and representatives we have now. Once again, we did choose them ourselves to be our congressmen and women, so we really can’t complain.
The diversity that exists in America is staggering. Even more shocking is the lack of diverse representation in Congress. America may say that it has changed over the years, allowing more immigrants, more religions, and more races to prosper in the country. However it seems the one thing that will never change is the rule of conservatives white male Protestants at the forefront of politics. While this is one of the largest groups living in America, there are many more religions and races that need to be represented in Congress. The largest demographic difference seems to occur with gender. There are many more males than females which is not representative at all. There are approximately an equal number of males and females in this country so it would seem logical that there be the same proportion in Congress. However, America was founded by strong men at a time when women were weak. It seems that even though the country has changed a great deal since it was founded, its politics have not changed. People seem to think that men can are more capable than women when it comes to running this country. While Congress can preach all it wants to about equality, the simple fact is that Congress itself is one of the most prejudiced institutions in America. The only way to dispel this prejudice is to create a congressional body that represents the demographics of America. Political parties need to be represented so minorities have a voice. America is one of the most diverse countries in this world and this diversity should be represented in Congress. Alienating certain groups from the political world could have disastrous in the future.
In Congress, by no means is there an equal representation of the population in terms of race, sex, sexual orientation, and religion. Looking at the chart "This is Not My Beautiful House," it can be easily seen first that there are so many more males than females in the House of Representatives. This is certainly not going along with the 50% to 50% ratio that it should be. In addition, certain races are not being represented properly. There should be many more Hispanic and African American members of Congress to allow for equality. In terms of religion, Protestants make up the huge majority of members with over 300 people who practice this faith in the House. Finally, most people in Congress are wealthy, which does not represent America as a whole. Our representatives are therefore not truly characteristic of the United States. Minorities and some religions are not being represented enough in order to make it fair for all Americans. Hence, there is by no means enough equal representation in Congress. These demographics do obviously play a major role because in order to have the correct legislation to help all Americans, people must have a say in what their representatives are voting on. To help with the interests of United States citizens, there most certainly needs to be equal representation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. This will aid in a better approval of Congress as more people will be able to have their ideas and interests heard in the legislation process.
Eric Price As we look at America today, the demographics have dramatically changed especially in the last 20 years. But, if you were to look into congress for a representation of the country's population you would most likely be very confused. As it stands right now 457 people in congress are white. If you look realistically to the Country population, there is a significant decrease in that number. Reflected there should really be about 385 Caucasians in congress. African Americans and Hispanics are easily under represented based on the actual population in the country. The biggest mismatch in congress would have to be gender though. There are only about 90 women total in congress when if you really think about it well more than 16% of the population in this country are women. If there was actual representation in America than congress would be split in half between men and women. Unfortunately, with the government today equal representation may never actually come true based on the actual demographics, based on the current political parties in office today and such things as gerrymandering that will shift votes in different directions.
Congress is undeniably not a reflection of the United State's cultural makeup. Predominantly male, white, and Christian, our representatives may not be samples of the country's gender, ethnicity, or religion. However, they are elected, and ever since the ill-advised passage of the Seventeenth Amendment both Congressmen and Senators alike are directly elected by those they represent. This is the system, and while no system is without its flaws, democracy is a good one that has proven its merits for centuries. Yes, diversity in Congress would be a better representation of American cultures. However, as those who make up that culture put these representatives in place, Congress as it stands seems like a pretty good representation of those for whom everyone voted. Perhaps the Buddhist group of one city was outvoted by the Christian group and ended up with a Christian representative, or the Hispanic community of another city was outvoted by the Caucasian community and ended up with a white representative, but that is why these people are "representatives" - they represent the will of the majority. One would think, perhaps optimistically, that what really matters about a representative is their political ideology and vision for America, and while this may be influenced to an extent by religion or race, I am satisfied that our election system is sound (with the possible exception of a certain prime-numbered amendment) and that our representatives are just that - public serving, duly elected, representatives.
Even though Congress is a representative entity for American citizens, the demographics of the members do not exactly correspond with the population. It is interest to note the religious aspect of Congress. It was not until 2007 that Congress had its first Muslim member, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Also the representative version of Congress for demographics of religion includes 70 members who theoretically should be unaffiliated. It would seem that those who wish to serve in the actual Congress require a religion in order to be successfully elected in to office. The same sentiments can be applied to the Executive Office of the President. All of the Presidents in history have been affiliated with a religion. The demographics that are given of both the current and reflective show the dynamics that happens within Congress. A major problem with the current demographics of Congress is that there is not as many members of minority descent as there should be. The statistics that are given show that white male protestants still hold a firm grasp in Congress with the minorities and females slowly making progress in becoming members of Congress. The reflective number of independent voters would be interesting if it were true. Perhaps then the two major parties won’t have as much of a say as they currently have.
Maggie Senft, Period 6 Demographics play a very large role in US Government. The components of race, religion, sex, all weigh heavily on a person’s political affiliation and beliefs. Even though the United States is considered a “melting pot” of various cultures, the backgrounds of members of Congress show otherwise. Congress shows little to no diversity in its members, with a staggering 85% majority being Caucasian. The members of Congress are not an accurate representation of the demographics of the United States; for example, the number of male members outweighs the corresponding female representation 448:91. The majority of the members of Congress are additionally Protestant, with very little accounts of other faiths. These demographics play a large role in the members’ ways of thinking and thus how they will vote for legislation. For example, since minorities are not being represented they will not get a fair say in the government. There should be an equal amount of members of Congress to create diversity. This would allow the government to be an accurate and true representation of the nation they are representing.
Demographics, in theory, should play a large role in Congress. However, I believe that the demographics of Congress do not play a large role over a large scale? What is the difference between a woman and a man who believe in the same things? A white man and a black man? A catholic man and a Jewish man? Besides their demographic, nothing. On Capitol hill, the only thing that matters is what they believe in, not how they got there. The population of the United States votes for the candidate that they believe will do the right thing in Washington, and represent their beliefs. It does not matter if that person is White, Black, or green (ok I probably wouldn't vote for someone that's green) but what matters is what they believe in. Is a vote in the House from a woman or a man any different? A vote is a vote, and the Population of the United States will choose those who best represent them, no matter what their demographics are. The demographics of Congress are not a significant factor, it is what the members of Congress believe in that is a significant factor. Inside, everybody is the same, which is why demographics should not and do not play a significant role in Congress.
I would say that Congress is generally representative of us in regards to peoples political beliefs. The House is currently run by the Republican majority, but the numbers aren’t overwhelming in comparison to the Democrats. The minorities, like Hispanics and such, are the minority, so they obviously won’t have an overwhelming majority any time soon. Considering the countries population, approximately 83.7% of us are not Hispanic or Latino. Hispanics and Latino’s are actually 16.3% while Black/ African Americans are only 12.2% of our population. Since there is a smaller percentage of them, for now at least, they will receive less of a say. That’s just how it goes. Again the majority of us are white, which is the type of race we see dominating in Congress. One thing that is slightly “uneven” would be the gender type. Males dominate over woman in Congress, but this isn’t surprising. Tradition has it that males typically super seed woman in these particular areas. A fine example of this is the fact that we haven’t had a woman President yet. The representatives also our wealtheir than most, which is also why they tend to serve in Congress over others. The poor population might lack some representation in that there are no poor people in Congress. However we have liberals who tend to favor the poor and demonize the rich, so they receive some say anyways.
Period 6 Demographics play a monumental role in the political system of the United States. The current Congress in place today, however, is clearly not an accurate representation of the citizens in America. This nation was formed largely based on the fact that the colonists in the New World did not receive proper representation in the British government. I find it comical that America has basically chosen to follow in Britain's footsteps. The minorities are not represented in the House according the various colorful pie charts. African Americans are extremely under-represented, seeing as if Congress was truly reflective of the population, blacks would have a much bigger portion of the pie chart. Restricting African Americans' their full potential to be in Congress is a detriment to both said race and the country as a whole. They have diverse viewpoints that should be treasured by the government, seeing as not many other federal governments can claim to have a wide variety of multiracial congressmen. Similarly, women are also severely underrepresented in the current Congress. Women can also offer valuable opinions that affect both males and females, and it is important for female representation to be equal to that of males. It also important, however, to keep in mind that the current Congress is composed this way because of the voters. The voters are the people who are putting people in office. It is possible that Congress is composed in this fashion due to the fact that perhaps more males are qualified than females to uphold their job. It might not even be a racial or sexist act. The voters could simply be voting for who they believe is the most qualified. Nonetheless, it is clear that the current Congress does not properly represent the population, and this could just serve as a detriment to society.
A person’s beliefs are often shaped by their race, age, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Therefore, their political ideology, and ultimately who they vote for is determined by their demographics. I feel that the United States Congress does not accurately represent all American citizens. The average member of congress is a republican, white, male, who is protestant. In today’s society, I feel this does not properly represent the people of America. For instance, on the “this is not my beautiful house” pie chart, it shows that 457 members of congress are white while only a staggering 44 members are African American and only 27 are Hispanic. This I feel more depicts American society because America has always been considered a “melting pot” of cultures. There should be more of a diversity of race in congress. I found the lack of women in congress to be even more shocking. There are only 91 females in congress but there is an astounding 448 male representatives. This obviously does not portray American society properly considering the ratio of males to females in nearly equal. I feel that the lack of a diverse congress, ultimately, causes the voters to suffer most. They are not represented by those who share common demographics, so legislation that would directly impact them goes unrecognized. I feel that in order to have a more fair and modern congress, there must be more diversity amongst members. If this were to happen new legislation can be introduced to benefit American society.
The chart pictured above attempts to display a disparity between the current and ideal demographics of Congress. Unfortunately the chart also begs the question when it comes to representation of the individual. As America is a representative democracy, it elects representatives to speak for large populations of people. Any person can vote for any candidate to represent them, regardless of gender, race or affiliation. Therefore it's irrational to call Congress not characteristic of America as a whole.
Dr. King proposed that each one of should judge a man not based on the color of his skin, but of his character. This holds true with any candidate running for congress. Is it reasonable to ask any voter to only vote for a candidate that completely fits their demographic in the name of equality? No. Any reasonable voter should make their decisions in a well informed manner based on qualifications, political views, and a good track record. Looking at it this way then, the current status of Congress is only in disparity if the people of America do not vote for who they feel to be the best candidate.
As we learned, there are different roles that members of Congress can play when voting. Delegate is one; trustee is another. So, when it comes to the demographics of Congress playing a role in voting, I guess this depends on the issue. For example, for many issues where Congresspeople vote based on what their constituents wish for. Job creation is one issue that is probably not affected a great deal by race, religion, or sex. But, sometimes our representatives play the role of trustee. As a woman, I feel that the overwhelmingly male congress does not have the right to play trustee when it comes to voting on issues such as abortion, birth control, and women's’ rights. If Congress were truly representative of the population, the women’s voice would be heard much louder. Additionally, Congresspeople have salaries and wealth that is much greater than the general population, causing ignorance when it comes to issues such as poverty, welfare, and insurance. Religion is another huge issue. Protestants rule the floor in Congress, as well as Catholics. But, much of America is unaffiliated. Although unaffiliated and other religions are not a majority, it is important that religion is kept out of politics, and with almost all of Congress being Protestant, Catholic, or Mormon, this is a challenge. Also, there are very few gay and lesbian people in Congress, and few other underrepresented minorities especially Asians and Hispanics. The voices of these people must be heard, and the way Congress is now, this is almost impossible on many social issues dealing with money, race, religion, and sex.
I think it is very clear that demographics play a major role in the political system of our country. Things like gender, age, ethnicity, political affiliation, and religion shape who you are and what you believe in. The unequal distribution of people in each of the demographic categories is not a fair representation of the people of our nation, so the true beliefs and attitudes of the American people are not being addressed. There is no reason why the differences between certain demographics should be so large. Take the gender demographic for example – there are 448 men and 91 women. I feel that this country has come so far in terms of breaking barriers between different groups, whether it be racial or what, to still have such unequal representation in charge of the United States.
Megan McGrath In the day and age of our nation’s first African American president, one would think our Congress would be equally representative and that the stereotype of only white Anglo-Saxon Protestant males influencing politics would be a thing of the past. Yet, when looking at the demographics of America’s legislators it is evident that this stereotype may be more accurate than citizens realize. Religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender all play significant roles in shaping a person’s political and social beliefs, and therefore influence how that Congressperson will vote on legislation and politically behave. Thus, these demographics do play a significant part in our nation’s government. The male/female ratio is nearly 4.5 to 1, or 448 male and 91 female, which is ridiculous in a country almost half female and half male. Women aren’t getting their voice heard with only 17% in congress and they should be heard in Congress because they are the most underrepresented group at this time. Men and women obviously think very differently and have very different interests and the interests of women are not being equally represented in our government. Even worse, half of the nation also has these interests, thus at least half of the nation is not being represented. In addition, diverse racial representation in Congress is also important, because different races and ethnic groups often have different interests and needs, and it is important that there are a representative number of Congressmen and women to vocalize these interests. However, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans are also severely underrepresented when taking into account the proportion they represent in our population. There is currently 8% of Africa Americans in congress and there would only be 11% in a reflective congress. There is currently 5% of Hispanics and 15% would be in a reflective congress. There is 1% of Asians in congress right now and there would only be 4% in a reflective government. Also, different religious groups have differing moral values, and although church and government should be completely separate, religious views often affect the decisions of representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. The United States was founded on the basis of religious freedom and for decades different religions have flourished in this nation, therefore it is important that representatives of all religions have a voice in Congress, because that way the varying views and morals of the United States population will be represented in the government. There is also a disproportionate representation of religious beliefs - there are far more Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in Congress than is proportional to their numbers in the United States’ actual population. Currently, the most underrepresented group would be the unaffiliated who currently have 0% of representation, compared to 16% they should have if it was reflected. The last discrepancy is that even though about 30% of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with the Democrats or Republicans, our Representatives are clearly either Democrat or Republican, with only two falling into another category. Further, there are far more Republicans in Congress than the proportional amount of Republicans in America.
Therefore, it is evident that our perfect democracy is not so perfect and that our representation is not so representative. Demographics play a huge role in shaping policy. Representatives who come from different ethnic, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds have different perspectives and our lack of accurate representation makes the government unable to actually represent the views, diversity, and political desires of the American population. Our current congress does not represent these ideals of America and clearly only represents the white, Protestant, males from either the Republican or Democratic parties. Leaving Americans asking, what happened to our melting pot?
Period 6 Matt Mendonca The demographics represented by the chart and by Wikipedia’s Congressional demographics undoubtedly play a large scale role in our government. There are multiple factors that play into a Congressman’s decision on a vote. Among these influences are the person’s religious belief, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender, all of which shape a person’s political and social beliefs. America is typically deemed what is known as a melting pot, meaning that there are many apparent and distiguishible differences between the citizens living in our country. America is known for its diversity, multiple cultures, countless ethnicities, and changing lifestyles. This is all due to the fact that when the colonists discovered the America, they were technically foreigners. Americn isn’t really a backround because immigrants were the ones who poured into the country from all over the world. Our government is supposed to represent diversity, and consider the interests of all people, even minorities. It is also a goal for our representation in Congress to reflect the population. However, this is often a problem due to the fact that the scale of men to women and minorities to majorities is unbalanced, therefore influencing votes on subjects in the favor of the larger group. For example, in the country as a whole there is almost an equal number of men and women but in Congress, men outweigh the number of women with a scale of over 4 to 1. This means that despite women having different interests and views, they may not have equal representation in our government. The same goes for people with different ethnic backgrounds. It is assumed that Hispanics may have different views than Caucasians or African Americans, but due to the comparison of the 27 Hispanics to the 457 Caucasians in Congress, it is obvious, the white population has more say and influence. This is why it is sometimes the goal to make provisions to passing bills that are approved by every group of people. There’s always another problem that gets people pretty heated and defensive, which is religious affiliation. Different religious groups are going to have have differing moral values. Religious views often influence the decisions made by representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. Due to the variety of very different religions in America, it is important that congressmen and women of all religions have a voice in Congress, because without different voices and opinions congress would not continue to work the way it does. Although equal representation is somewhat unfair and flawed, it is impossible to please everyone and as of right now, it is the most efficient system to deal with the struggles in Congress.
Demographics definitely play a great role in the United States government. A congress member’s religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, gender, and political party are all significant factors in determining a person’s social and political views, and how he or he vote. The United States is no doubt a diverse nation. It is difficult to truly represent the nation’s population based on those demographics. I think that in terms of race and religious beliefs, we are realistically close. It is nearly impossible to represent every single American. However, the ration of the women to men in Congress is extremely low. Realistically America is about 50 % women and 50 % men, however, women are greatly outnumbered by men in congress 91 to 448. Although we may not agree with all the decisions made in Congress. The citizens of America voted for these people to represent us. If the American society is truly unsatisfied with the current government, then there is always something that can be done to elect more minorities, or people with no religious beliefs.
While making Congress an exact proportional representation of the United States population is a lofty goal it is impossible and unnecessary in the modern era. Congress is far more white, wealthy and, educated than the general population. Nobody would argue that it is a negative for Congress to be too well educated. The entire country is being governed by the best a small group of people they should be the smartest people in the entire country. Further, because these are some of the smartest people in the world you would expect them to be some of the most successful. The capitalist economic system of the United States rewards talent wherever it is found. People who are naturally smarter and more business savvy than the average person are reward with tremendous riches. This is exactly how it should be; the best people are the most successful. Therefore, it is logical that they are wealthy. Further, the times of someone’s race controlling their lives are thankfully nearly over. What is more important now is your ability. This country does not need a black senator to represent the interest of a black man. Instead the black man needs a senator who shares the same ideas not the same color skin. In the end, the country is controlled by the people and if individuals were truly unhappy with those who represent them in Congress the representative would be looking for jobs. The country is happy with the status quo and that matters more than anything else.
While the United State’s government was founded on the tenants of popular sovereignty and representative democracy, the actual look of Congress right now appears to have veered away from that. Race, gender, and religion are three of the biggest influential factors in a person’s religious affiliation along with their voting habits. The candidate who best suits and mirrors the voter will inevitably earn their vote. According to the chart however, this seems to be flawed. With the general population being 50/50 male to female, the overwhelmingly male congress is a shock. In fact the ratio isn’t even close to 1 to 1. This makes the validity of this Congress on issues such as abortion questionable. How can we expect them to make laws that are supported by the majority if they do not accurately represent them? Furthermore, the two party sweep of Congress is by no means a good representation of the voting population. While the members of the Democratic party is represented correctly, the independent voters are nearly not represented and instead republican politicians have taken over those spots. While the American political system is one of the most democratic in the world, it does not truly represent the people. Republican, white males dominate Congress, the supposedly most representative branch of the government, a stark contrast to the widely racially and gender diverse country. The begs the questions, is our government truly listening to the people?
Demographics, this plays a very big role in government. It's very clear the role of elected officials, to represent the people that have elected them. without demographics this in nearly impossible. the religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, gender, and political party are all significant factors in determining a person’s social and political views. these are also all demographic factors without these the people of a geographic area are poorly represented. eliminating the main point of this elected official, no man or women should be judged by anything but his or her character. Now Demographics should accurately show the population of any populated area, this is no different for the U.S. Representatives.
Demographics play a large role in the US government. The person’s religious belief, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender, all of which shape a person’s political and social beliefs. The demographics of our representative congress do not match with the demographics of our current nation. There is virtually little to no diversity represented in congress. Women are heavily under represented in congress, as it does not reflect the gender ratio to real life; approximately 1;1. But in the current Congress, only 91 females represent the entire female population of the United States as Males greatly outnumber them with 448 seats in Congress. Minority races are also greatly under represented. It is known that minority races such as Hispanic, African Americans and Asians are more likely to vote democrat than republican, which would also distort congress’ political affiliation. Congress should reflect the American population to represent our diverse population.
In politics, demographics are extremely significant because, more often than not, specific demographics tend to fall on one side of the political spectrum, or at least have strong opinions of issues, based on their demographic alone. Therefore, there is no doubt that demographics play an overwhelmingly influential role in Congress. For instance, African American citizens and females tend to side with more of a Democratic stance while Christians tend to vote more Republican. This proves that demographics, whether it be for a particular set of morals or just a economic preference, have a fairly significant impact on a person’s political ideologies. After looking at the chart and reading about the demographics of Congress, I would say that we have a fairly diverse Congress. Of course, according to the chart, representation of each demographic is not exactly in congruence with the actual representation of the demographic in our nation, but in all honesty, is this a realistic goal? There is without a doubt a fair amount of each ethnicity and religion in our Congress. The pie charts for both of these demographics for both Congress and the nation are very similar to the point where there is not much of a distinguishable lack of representation in Congress compared to the nation. For the most part, I believe Congress has a fair, even distribution of demographics. There is one exception to this opinion and that is the demographic of gender roles. There are only 91 females in Congress compared to 448 males, when in the nation; the amount of females is just as much as the amount of males. This is absolutely appalling to me; for god’s sakes we are in the 21st century and by now, men should realize that women are completely equal, if not superior to men in many ways. Women should have MUCH more representation in Congress. Their views on politics may be different then men’s, but this different perspective of politics could be just what our nation needs. Basically, there is way too much male input in our Congress, women need to step up and demand more influence in Congress. This is one of the reasons I plan to run for the House when I’m older; women are rational, patient thinkers, and would be excellent in Congress. Overall, Congress is a melting pot of demographics, just like our nation. Although our nation has many people “undecided” our Congress cannot have this; Congress’s sole purpose is to make decisions about our government. Our government is currently bipartisan, it consists of Republican and Democratic members, therefore, too many independents or “undecided” members could throw off the whole entire system. If Congress consisted of all independent members, they would get less accomplished than they already do. I am almost completely satisfied with the demographics of our Congress because it is realistic and fair.
I definitely believe that demographics accounts for some significance in our government system. Our current society is obsessed with labels, and in politics, labels will further one’s opinions about candidates, policies, and other affairs. The way a person votes in elections, or whether they are liberal or conservative reflects through demographics. In the reflective congress, it seems that there are many more “gray areas”… showing that those individuals are not exactly representative in either political party. This is a huge increase from the mere two individuals in our current congress. But the political affiliation is not even as drastic as gender, where the reflective congress shows an even split between both genders. Our current congress has 448 males compared to 41 females! It shows so much how with a reflective congress, there would be more equality. Race in the reflective congress definitely shows a wider distribution over what our current congress is. The opposite goes for religion though, the current congress definitely portrays more religion now than what would be in a reflective congress. This can show that religion is a controversial topic in our nation and should be dealt with on a more subjective level. Religion should not have a huge emphasis in determining political views, yet it should show some representation/opinion.
The ideal US demographics do not correlate in any way shape or form with the current demographics. Political affiliation, gender, race, religion all seem to have a lop sided majority in each category projected. Such as the current male to female ratio within the government an astonishing 448:91, while the reflective ratio would have an even 50% ratio of 218:218. This shows how poorly represented congress is compared to the demographics of the rest of the nation. Another issue that is very prevalent is the race ratios, in our congress the Caucasian standings are much higher then any other race on the list, which proves that the minorities are being poorly represented since there is such a vast majority of Caucasians within the government. A similar trend seems to be the case within the other categories such as political affiliation and religion. Therefore congress does not represent the average nations actual population diversity as shown in the demographics chart which is a problem, and this should be corrected to reflect the real diverse population.
The demographics of the house should theoretically not be a problem because the population elects them to represent there ideas and the best interest of there district and that is what I naively hope the representatives do. The demographics show that the demographics of the house and the demographics of the country are not matching what so ever, but this should not matter because all people of all backgrounds technically have an equal chance of winning a seat but the people end up putting who ever they wanted. If a county in Texas wanted a young black female democrat to be there representative they would elect them to the position. The people do not elect based on demographics but based on the people running's ideas. Of course I am in all the majorities in this data so my view point could be skewed as a result, but I would like to think that the American people vote for who they believe will lead the best not because of demographics.
Demographics play a very large role in the united states government. The United States is known as the “melting pot”, however I feel as though it is not being accurately represented in our current congress. Our founding fathers created the nation based off of immigrants coming from other countries with unequal treatment and for those who were not being equally represented. Whether it be because of a congress members sexuality, religion, race, occupation, background, or other aspects it is going to have some effect on their decision when voting. A common stereotype is that Hispanics and African Americans vote democratic, while christian caucasians vote Republican. In order to have a true representation the nation would need to distribute congress evenly based on the amount of members involved. Today illegal immigrants are a large problem and I feel that a minority like this, that is growing into more of a majority needs to be equally represented in congress, in order to protect their rights as well. Then you also have the African American population that is rapidly expanding. They are severely under-represented in this seeing as though they should be more of the overall population. By under representing this group it is hurting the countries ability to grow and to learn more about itself. By having such a diverse and multicultural congress this will help the country become more diverse and it will allow it to thrive. Besides hispanics and African Americans, women are also very poorly represented. Female representation is just as valuable as men representation and it should be so. Our population is not male dominant, so for that reason it is necessary that both are equally represented seeing as though women and men have different ways of thinking and each has a different way of going about things. This could benefit congress and could aid in decision making. In the end it is important to remember who chooses these congressmen and women to represent us. It is not the congress people, but the nations people, the voters. The voters are the ones picking the people to represent us and put them in office. These issues may not be directly linked to the voters however. There could be outside issues like eligibility of candidates and it may not have anything to do with the sexual orientation or race. It would seem more rational to think that the voters are just voting for whom they want. In the end I feel that the congress is not a good representation of the United States and that it could effect the nation in a negative way, unless we make congress more diverse.
Mike Thomas P6 Although our Congress doesn’t equally represent all the demographics in the United States, these men and women from all different backgrounds were elected into congress for a reason. No government is perfect but in this democracy of America, people’s ideas are still represented. With white republican males being majority in the congress, we put them there. In Senate, the population directly votes for men and women for the Senate seat. Anyone from any different background may run if they qualify. There is no possible solution to acquiring the perfect congress with an equally amount of representation across the board with all minorities from every single background perfectly represented. Our great nation has come a long way and is much more diverse in demographics. The way in which people vote does depend to an extent on demographics but when the only true candidate who do the best job is a white republican male, do you not vote for him because he is not your religion, gender or Age? Certainly, religion, race, sex, gender, age, and income allow play a role in shaping who people but people do not vote based primarily on the grounds of demographics. People vote for people they feel confident about and believe in that person. People should see candidates for what they stand for. Did people vote for Obama because he is black? The country is not perfect, but Democracy in America has prevailed and will continue to do so.
I believe that the demographics is very important the the united states government. this is because many people do sometimes vote for members of government or officials because of skin color. i recall some voting for the president just because he was African American. i do expect to see a lot of diverse race to be elected . this is because the demographics of the government have been change and most likely will continue to change. Jeffrey Lee Peroid 8
The demographics really aren't that big of a deal, because these are men and women who have been selected because of their ability to lead and make decisions for the common good. Even if they don't physically represent their district or state, they still go to Capitol Hill and vote with all their constituents' interests in mind. In addition, it would be very hard to make the "perfect House" with its balanced demographics because that means a couple hundred years' stereotypes have to be broken almost over night. For example certain races fill up a higher percentage of jails in certain regions. Therefore, a portion of that minority's population just disqualified itself. Another reason why demographics do not matter is because there will never be a bill in the House favoring one race or one gender over the other, because it would be against the Bill of Rights. They'll never be voting on something where demographics will have a direct impact. Sure, being a female might make you more liberal, and being Catholic might make you a bit of a social conservative, but they were chosen with these views on full display. These people were chosen for their views and their ideas, because they are best at representing every one's interests, not because they matched the majority's race and religion. Even so, I feel it's important to reserve a couple seats in Congress for women, African Americans, Hispanics, etc, because these seats will be needed to help prevent the House from passing any bill that indirectly hurts a minority group. When the country feels that the minorities of the country are ready to step up to the plate, then they most certainly will be elected, especially if they excel at representing everyone's interests, not just the interests of their minority.
Demographics play a significant role in the US elections. Congress is not even close to being a true representation of America. This country is filled with different minorities and cultures, yet Congress remains a majority white males, with few if any African Americans. These men and women are supposed to be representing the entire nation, not just the white nation. Minorities therefore have trouble getting their voices heard. Congress is also a majority male, which is definitely not an accurate representation because our country is pretty much half male and half female. Also, there is a great number of independent voters in our nation. To fairly represent them in Congress, there should be 81 where there are currently only 2. Religions are also unfairly represented. Because of all these misrepresentations, certain legislation cannot be passed to support the will of these neglected citizens
Angela Yang Congress is supposed to be an accurate representation of how the people of the United States. Therefore e demographics of Congress should line up with the demographics of the United States. What I find the most atrocious about the representation in congress is the amount of senators/house representative that are women, the vast different in numbers is in fact completely astounding. For over centuries women have struggled for equal rights, however it's rather depressing to see first hand how little impact has been made in representation in government. Looking into the presidency for example, we have never had a female president. We have never even had a female vice president. Since the declaration of independence from Britain in 1776 and after all these years the United States that prides it's self on being a land of equality is it to shame. Clearly women's rights are still a battleground.and looking at the chart, there are a literally no representation for the independents. As it is extremely hard to become elected without having the support of a major party, literally two independent congress men are currently in congress trying to represent the 20% of the population that is independent!? That is just atrocious. When the constitution was first drafted there had been no mentioned a two party system, in recent times these two parties have gained power to the point that no other part can even hope to challenge them. Other groups known simply as interest groups, must hope only that their ideals will be picked up by one of the larger parties. Another shocking revelation was the lack of representation of minorities, despite the fact that America is known as he melting pot, a land built by immigration, congress is still somehow run by to put it simply: Old white men. These demographics aren't that's shocking to me, as I had known this all along, but it is clear that something is wrong with congress.
The demographics of our nation are important and are crucial for being represented. No one category, in theory, should be predominant among the rest of the categories. If possible, the seats in congress would be occupied by an accurate representation of our nation. However this is not so. This shows how demographics don’t play a large role, at least in accurate representation of ethnicity or gender or religious beliefs in the house and senate. However demographics play a role regardless, for it is those who are in the demographics that elect these representatives. A representative may not have the same skin tone or the same religious beliefs, they may still be elected due to popular vote. A clear-cut example of this is our current president Barrack Obama. Although the Caucasian population is greater than that of the African American’s, Obama was still elected. Not based on his ethnicity but due to his political beliefs. Politicians are not representative of factors such as race, gender, faith, income etc. Their main purpose is to represent the political values of their constituencies who are people, not blacks or Asians or whites, but people.
46 comments:
Monica DiLeo
I think that these demographics play a huge role in our government. Religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender all play significant roles in shaping a person’s political and social beliefs, and therefore influence how that Congressperson will vote on legislation and politically behave. In addition, America is the typical melting pot nation. We are known for having diverse cultures, ethnicities, and lifestyles. Because our government is supposed to be representative of this diversity, and represent even the interests of the smallest minorities, it is important that our representation in Congress is also reflective of the population. The male/female ratio is nearly 4.5 to 1, which is outrageous in a country that is approximately half female and half male. Women’s minds often think in different ways and have different interests, and it is important that these interests are equally represented in our government, because half of our country has these interests. In addition, diverse racial representation in Congress is also important, because different races and ethnic groups often have different interests and needs, and it is important that there is a representative number of Congressmen and women to vocalize these interests. Finally, different religious groups have differing moral values, and as much as I believe church and government should be completely separate, religious views often affect the decisions of representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. Because the United States has a plethora of very different religions, it is important that representatives of all religions have a voice in Congress, because that way the varying views and morals of the United States population will be represented in the government.
However, there is an important issue that needs to be addressed in the practicality of a truly representative Congress. To start, there aren’t exactly 385 districts made up of Caucasian populations, 64 primarily African-American districts, 86 entirely Hispanic districts, etc., as would be suggested with a truly representative Congress. In reality, a district may be 75% Caucasian, 15% African American, and 10% Asian American. Even though three different racial groups have a presence in this district, only one representative of one race will be elected. Because this district is predominantly white, it is likely that this representative will be white. However because of this, there are now African American people and Asian Americans who are not having their race represented. Though America’s representative democracy is flawed in this aspect, I still personally believe that it is the most effective system to deal with these complicated factors.
Demographics including gender, race, and religion play a huge role in America’s political system. These demographic affect Americans political attitude and affiliation. It is important that these groups of people are represented fairly in Congress to let their voice be heard. However, it is near impossible to include every variety of American citizen. Gender had the largest variation in Congress from the reflective. Women were greatly outnumbered by men 91 to 448, while in the real world the actual ratio is roughly 50 to 50. Females and males often times have contrasting views on issues and it is unfair for the outnumbered women representatives to have their voice be heard. Half of our country may have the same interests as the women in government, but it would not translate that way in Congress. Second, race has a significant impact upon Americans’ political views. For the past half-century African Americans have been the most loyal Democrats than any other identifiable group. Latinos as a whole have a tendency to vote Democratic also. However, different Latino groups such as Mexican Americans or Cuban Americans can have different voting patterns. Unfortunately, these affiliations are barely represented correctly in Congress. Based on America’s population, there should have been 86 Hispanics in congress, but instead there was only 27. This lack in representation is unfair to the rapidly increasing number of Latino-Americans who are known to have conflicting views on issues that won’t be presented in government. Lastly, religion is known to affect Americans political ideas. Jewish voters are more likely to support Democrats than are Catholics or Protestants. Catholics tend to be more liberal on economic issues (such as minimum wage and taxes) than they are on social issues (such as abortion and divorce). The protestant religion was over represented in Congress with 305 representatives instead of just 222 needed to properly embody the Protestant religion in America. As a result, other religions such as Hindu were nonexistent in Congress, when 3 representatives or senators should have stood in government for the religion. Atheist senators or representatives were also not present while there should have been 70, a decent amount of representation. In conclusion, demographics such as gender, race, and religion contribute to American political attitudes and behavior. These attitudes determine how Americans participate, whom they vote for, and what political parties they support.
Rachael Robitaille
It is evident that demographics play an enormous role in government, whether it is your religious affiliation or the color of your skin. These simple alterations are in actuality can extremely affect the way a member of Congress would vote. For example, Latinos and African Americans have the proclivities to vote Democratic, while Caucasians can lean toward the right side of the political spectrum, but traditionally are split down the middle. The representation of ethnicities in Congress is in no way proportional to the actual population of the United States, as demonstrated in the chart. For one thing, African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and American Indians would hold more positions, while the only ethnicity that would decrease is Caucasian. While many argue that this unbalanced Congress should not differ in its viewpoints from it if it were proportional, it is proven that ethnicity directly correlates with viewpoints on key issues. One thing race would affect would be the distribution of liberals versus conservatives. If ethnicity were proportional in Congress, liberals would be much more prominent than they are currently, with the possibility of even a majority.
Religion plays a role as well when justifying key issues. For example, those who are Catholic are more likely to vote pro-life versus those whose religions do not conflict with the issue concerning abortion. Specifically, Catholics are liberal when it comes to economic issues, and more conservative on social issues. Jews on the other hand, are more likely to support Democratic ideologies than Catholics and other Christians. If religion were to be equally proportional to the population, Christians and Jews would decrease significantly, while many religions would even need to be added to Congress.
Perhaps the most startling difference is the gender ratio in Congress. Women’s role is shockingly much less than that of men. The distribution should be about 50/50, but in actuality women are only represented in a ratio of 448:91. This is shocking because the media tends to focus on the ethnicity and background of a candidate rather than their gender, and it seems relatively unknown that such a barrier between men and women still exists. This unbalance absolutely affects the political affiliations represented in Congress as well as how they should decide on issues that may be more pertinent to themselves like that of abortion. Generally, women tend to vote more liberal than men, which would affect the distribution of Republicans and Democrats. In conclusion, Congress may never be representative of the actual nation, which means that decisions made may not showcase the real decisions that citizens would make based on their gender, ethnicity, and religion. Political affiliations are and will undoubtedly remain directly related to these demographics, but only when these demographics are proportional in Congress will Congress truly be representative.
We’ve all been taught in third grade that America is a melting pot with many races, political ideologies, and religions, however, when we go to Capitol Hill on the eighth grade field trip, all we have to say is “what happened?” From what the charts are showing, the majority of the US Congress is made up of white, Protestant, males from either the Republican or Democratic parties. This doesn’t seem like much of a melting pot at first glance however, when you compare the current representatives with the reflective one there isn’t too much of a difference except in the gender and political party affiliation categories. In regards to religion, there is currently 57% protestant members compared to the reflective 51% Protestant members. It is very close to the representative number. Currently there are 29% Catholics and if it were reflective there would be 23% Catholics. This number is very close as well. The only much underrepresented group would be the unaffiliated who currently have 0% of representation, compared to 16% they should have if it was reflected. The current demographics with religion aren’t too bad compared to what it should be if it was reflected.
Race doesn’t seem too big of an issue in the demographics because Caucasian is the majority even with a reflective congress however, there is quite a gap between current and reflective statistics. Currently there are 84% of whites in congress and with reflective government there would be 68%. There is currently 8% of Africa Americans in congress and there would only be 11% in a reflective congress. There is currently 5% of Hispanics and 15% would be in a reflective congress. There is 1% of Asians in congress right now and there would only be 4% in a reflective government. So the numbers are somewhat representative. They are not nearly as bad as people make them out to be, and each race is getting representation close to the amount of people of their race in the country. The race that is lagging behind is Hispanics, so they would be underrepresented in this case.
The two demographics that are extremely unfair are gender and political parties. Males currently make up 83% of Congress where in a reflective congress they would share power equally 50/50. Also other political parties make up less than 1% where in an ideal congress they would make up 15%. They are extremely underrepresented.
People seem to make a big deal out of the “unfair” majority of certain races and religions that are currently in congress however, their numbers closely match the reflective congress. It’s the unfair amount of males and just two political parties that make congress unrepresentative. Women aren’t getting their voice heard with only 17% in congress and the nation isn’t just solely two parties. These areas are where Congress needs to get a drastic shift. The control of the two party systems seems sort of inevitable at this point, but more women should be heard in Congress because they are the most underrepresented group at this time.
It is definitely appropriate to assume that demographics play a significant role in the United States government. Whether it be the congress member's religion, sexual orientation, occupational background, or race, it will most definitely influence their vote in some way or another. For example, many African Americans and Hispanics vote Democrat, while very religious Christians tend to vote Republican.
America is known as a diverse nation of equality. To truly represent the country's population the government would have to be distributed evenly based on number of people that are a part of each race. Realistically, we are close to this in the current Congress. For example, proper representation is so important because, these days, illegal immigration from our southern border is a serious issue and Hispanics need to be present in Congress to protect and benefit the legal population.
Women are severely outnumbered in today's Congress, which is rather appalling because our population is not sufficiently male dominate. Psychology proves the differences in the way a man and woman's mind functions and what their priorities are. To appropriately represent nearly half our population, proper representation is absolutely necessary. Women have different goals, so it is crucial that they are spoken for.
Perhaps most obvious is the Republican to Democrat ratio in Congress. The individual backgrounds of each member have a major effect on their affiliation of choice (or non affiliation). I think that the Reflective Congress is unrealistic. Too many Americans have opinions of one thing or another to have such a large independent population. Obviously this demographic within Congress is crucial to what gets done and what bills get passed into law.
A person's background puts them in categories and these eventually determine what they agree with and what they vote for. Though the demographics in Congress are not what they should be to properly represent every group in the United States, our government is still the best way to get things done to the most citizens' satisfaction.
Tiantian Liu
Period 8
The demographics shown on the chart reflects the current “representatives” of our country, which are deemed important for the functions of the U.S. government. The categories such as gender, religion, political views and race vary based on the diverse personal beliefs. I believe that these demographics are crucial for shaping Americans’ opinions and beliefs on current politics. For example, certain religious aspects will affect a person’s decision on major issues such as abortion and same sex marriage. Over 60% of conservatives believe that religion is the most important influence on their opinion against same sex marriage. On the other hand, only 5% of liberals depend on their religious aspects for their opinion on the same issue. This is under the condition that the percentage of religion is out of proportion to the population of the U.S. As seen on the chart, more representatives of other types of religion would become apparent if they were proportional to the population. If the right side of the demographics chart becomes reality, the percentage of protestant and catholic will decrease as it averages out with the addition of “other” kinds of faith.
Furthermore, the gender ratio stood out on the chart based on its great differences. Currently the amount of female representatives is less than a quarter to the male population. This demonstrated that women today are still under represented at all levels of the government. Again, the right side of the chart displays the demographically correct 50-50% of sex ratio in the current U.S. government. Here the equality issue is solved, but this solution seems unreal when current beliefs and statistics are applied to it. Similarly, the two political parties revealed different backgrounds and beliefs on political and social issues. The percentage of Democrats and Republicans almost dominated the pie chart. Like religion in this country, if the representatives in government allow it to be demographically correct based on U.S. population, the percentage of the two parties will eventually drop. This brings out the importance of a proportionally representative U.S. government for the future.
In the final analysis, the diverse interests and beliefs of U.S. citizens all result in different requirements of their backgrounds. Therefore it is essential for racial representation to occur in Congress. The current status of the U.S. Congress demographic is largely out of proportion. This has to be changed in order to create a more effective voting and legislation process.
Our Congressmen are not normal people. That has been planned and palpable since the group of lawyers, bankers, and politicians known as the Founding Fathers created our nation. Trying to compare out Congressmen to the normal population is akin to comparing the average salaries of CEOs to the rest of the world: It'g going to be different.
Middle to high class, wealthy, and commanding men and women are politicians for a reason: they're good at it. If that is not representative of the population as a whole, then so be it. It does not matter that we have fewer Asian Americans in Congress than would be representative: Asian Americans don't vote or care. (Generalizing of course, but a mostly accurate generalization) The people in Congress are the people that were elected there. If no one wanted to vote for low income, less educated, minority females, then that is the choice of America.
Our democracy has flaws, but the lack of choice is not one of them. Anyone motivated to run can make an attempt, and if America truly wants that minority female, then there would be more minority females in Congress. The demographics of our Senators and Representatives should not be a foundation for claims of racism, injustice, or anything of the ilk.
Alfred Kroqi
Demographics play a significant role in electing representatives. In our daily lives, we judge people by their ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or religion. Many of us try not to but it is human instinct to have a preconception about something based upon its appearance. Demographics are important in voting for representatives. It is a well known fact many African Americans, Hispanics and Gays vote democratic. The same is true for most upper middle class to high class white men voting republican. More women are democratic then men. These are just observations of people's political affiliations throughout the years.
The current congress is not reflective of our society at all but this is not because of a lack of opportunity. Everyone despite their demographics has a chance to be elected as a representative. Men, women, whites, African Americans, Hispanics, and gays all have the same chance to be elected. Our current congress is a majority male, majority republican, majority Caucasian and majority protestant. This is because those people went out and campaigned and worked hard to get to the position they are at. No seat was just given to them.
Miranda Scaramozza
Period 6
The many demographics that our nation has play a great role in the election of who will represent us. America may be known as a great melting pot, but the current state of Congress is no where near a good mix of the many demographics. This is a problem becasue the legislative government that represents our entire nation is not proportional to the demographics that exist. The government should reflect and represent the citizens to ensure that everyones views and beliefs are not overlooked. First off the majority of congress is male, which does not correspond with the population of the us and the fact that there are just as many men as women. Secondly only 2 independents currently hold seats in congress, there should be 81. Religions and races are represented anywhere near being correct. All of the demographics pictured in the chart are very important because they represent the entire nation and the many different components, such as religion, race, political affiliation, and gender.
Taylor Frazier
Period 8
I definitely believe that demographics play a large role in todays government. Demographics such as race, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, party affiliation, and gender play significant roles in how people vote and behave. Knowing that America is thought of as a melting pot means that our government should be reflective of the nation we live in. Knowing that the congressional ration of male/female participants is 448 to 91, about 4.5 to1, is rather ridiculous considering that fact that the nation is made us of about equal amounts of both genders. Women are greatly outnumbered in congress and are often seen as contrasting view on issues simply because there are not enough women to have the majority vote for what they believe in. We would never know if women's views in congress are similar to the 50% of women out of congress because most of their ideas are not publicized because of how outnumbered and outlandish they appear. Religion also plays a large role when speaking of important issues. One example is abortion. When determining whether you are pro life of pro choice people usually look to their religion or lack there of. Those people that are strongly affiliated with their religion specifically have stronger views against abortion. It is also reflective that many religions are not represented in congress and should therefore be added. These demographics are not representative of the melting pot we are said to live in and should be changed so that the best interests of our diverse population are represented.
Courtney McQuade
America has some problems with its demographics in congress not being an exactly representative population according to the demographics of our country as a whole. The most obvious of these discrepancies is the male to female ratio; there is also a noticeable difference in regards to the Hispanic population in congress and the hispanic population in America. One very important thing to think about is how all of these demographics play a role in the decisions made by congress. Certainly, these are factors that do change a person's beliefs and perspectives even though we would not always like to admit it. However, nothing can be done to change this situation until a more diverse demographic starts running for congressional seats. For more women and hispanics cannot serve unless they are elected and they cannot be elected unless they run. Really, when it comes down to it, it it something that the american people must change if they desire to and is, for the most part, out of the government's control.
Though America itself is a melting pot of diversity, its Representatives certainly are not. Even though the population is roughly 50/50 men and women, out of our Representatives, 448 members are male and only 91 are female. Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans are also severely underrepresented when taking into account the proportion they represent in our population. Another discrepancy is that even though about 30% of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with the Democrats or Republicans, our Representatives are clearly cut either Democrat or Republican, with only two falling into another category. There is also a disproportionate representation of religious beliefs - there are far more Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in Congress than is proportional to their numbers in the United States’ actual population. Lastly, there are far more Republicans in Congress than the proportional amount of Republicans in America.
It is clear that our supposed “representation” is not exactly representative. It is tough to argue that America is a perfect democracy with such a glaring issue like this. As a result of this representation that isn’t actual proportional to the views and diversity of the American population, the political desires of Americans are not truly being presented to our government. Because minorities are not as large a part of Congress as they should be, their rights are not being protected as well as they should by the government. Because there is such a significantly lower number of women in Congress than men, the views and beliefs of females will have a harder time permeating through legislation. The stereotype of the white Anglo-Saxon Protestant male running America is perceived as something of the past, as minorities are becoming a larger part of the population and we have our first black president. Despite this changing overall perception, that stereotype is still prominent when it comes to America’s legislators. Though our population seems to be very diverse, the way it works it out when it comes to election times is that we continue to elect the same type of traditional politicians.
Demographics play a huge role in shaping policy. Representatives who come from different ethnic, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds have different perspectives on what needs to be done in America, and what areas specifically need the most improvement. Because our Representatives are not truly representative, modern day American ideals cannot be properly enacted through the government.
Although the “melting pot” type of demographics of the United States clearly does not coincide with the demographics of our representative congress, it is extremely difficult to compare these people that have been elected to the normal population. They are politicians and the very high majority of them are upper class, wealthy and educated citizens that come from a highly respected previous position. It is challenging trying to compare them to America because much of this country is not wealthy upper class and some are not educated as well. In my opinion, it seems to be an apples and oranges type of comparison. These congressmen ran for election and earned their way to where they are. Although we do not always agree with the decisions that they make over there on Capitol Hill, we did, after all, elect them to represent us because we agreed with the majority of their beliefs and felt that they were the most qualified of our options to serve us accurately. Maybe it would benefit us to have a congress that was more demographically representative of our nation in regards to how much race, gender, political affiliation, sexual orientation, and religion affect one’s beliefs and opinions, but as for now I personally feel that that does not matter as much as some feel it does. It would be difficult to find people that are exactly representative of this country who are as experienced and qualified as the senators and representatives we have now. Once again, we did choose them ourselves to be our congressmen and women, so we really can’t complain.
The diversity that exists in America is staggering. Even more shocking is the lack of diverse representation in Congress. America may say that it has changed over the years, allowing more immigrants, more religions, and more races to prosper in the country. However it seems the one thing that will never change is the rule of conservatives white male Protestants at the forefront of politics. While this is one of the largest groups living in America, there are many more religions and races that need to be represented in Congress. The largest demographic difference seems to occur with gender. There are many more males than females which is not representative at all. There are approximately an equal number of males and females in this country so it would seem logical that there be the same proportion in Congress. However, America was founded by strong men at a time when women were weak. It seems that even though the country has changed a great deal since it was founded, its politics have not changed. People seem to think that men can are more capable than women when it comes to running this country. While Congress can preach all it wants to about equality, the simple fact is that Congress itself is one of the most prejudiced institutions in America. The only way to dispel this prejudice is to create a congressional body that represents the demographics of America. Political parties need to be represented so minorities have a voice. America is one of the most diverse countries in this world and this diversity should be represented in Congress. Alienating certain groups from the political world could have disastrous in the future.
In Congress, by no means is there an equal representation of the population in terms of race, sex, sexual orientation, and religion. Looking at the chart "This is Not My Beautiful House," it can be easily seen first that there are so many more males than females in the House of Representatives. This is certainly not going along with the 50% to 50% ratio that it should be. In addition, certain races are not being represented properly. There should be many more Hispanic and African American members of Congress to allow for equality. In terms of religion, Protestants make up the huge majority of members with over 300 people who practice this faith in the House. Finally, most people in Congress are wealthy, which does not represent America as a whole.
Our representatives are therefore not truly characteristic of the United States. Minorities and some religions are not being represented enough in order to make it fair for all Americans. Hence, there is by no means enough equal representation in Congress. These demographics do obviously play a major role because in order to have the correct legislation to help all Americans, people must have a say in what their representatives are voting on. To help with the interests of United States citizens, there most certainly needs to be equal representation in the House of Representatives and in the Senate. This will aid in a better approval of Congress as more people will be able to have their ideas and interests heard in the legislation process.
Eric Price
As we look at America today, the demographics have dramatically changed especially in the last 20 years. But, if you were to look into congress for a representation of the country's population you would most likely be very confused. As it stands right now 457 people in congress are white. If you look realistically to the Country population, there is a significant decrease in that number. Reflected there should really be about 385 Caucasians in congress. African Americans and Hispanics are easily under represented based on the actual population in the country. The biggest mismatch in congress would have to be gender though. There are only about 90 women total in congress when if you really think about it well more than 16% of the population in this country are women. If there was actual representation in America than congress would be split in half between men and women. Unfortunately, with the government today equal representation may never actually come true based on the actual demographics, based on the current political parties in office today and such things as gerrymandering that will shift votes in different directions.
Congress is undeniably not a reflection of the United State's cultural makeup. Predominantly male, white, and Christian, our representatives may not be samples of the country's gender, ethnicity, or religion. However, they are elected, and ever since the ill-advised passage of the Seventeenth Amendment both Congressmen and Senators alike are directly elected by those they represent. This is the system, and while no system is without its flaws, democracy is a good one that has proven its merits for centuries. Yes, diversity in Congress would be a better representation of American cultures. However, as those who make up that culture put these representatives in place, Congress as it stands seems like a pretty good representation of those for whom everyone voted. Perhaps the Buddhist group of one city was outvoted by the Christian group and ended up with a Christian representative, or the Hispanic community of another city was outvoted by the Caucasian community and ended up with a white representative, but that is why these people are "representatives" - they represent the will of the majority. One would think, perhaps optimistically, that what really matters about a representative is their political ideology and vision for America, and while this may be influenced to an extent by religion or race, I am satisfied that our election system is sound (with the possible exception of a certain prime-numbered amendment) and that our representatives are just that - public serving, duly elected, representatives.
Even though Congress is a representative entity for American citizens, the demographics of the members do not exactly correspond with the population. It is interest to note the religious aspect of Congress. It was not until 2007 that Congress had its first Muslim member, Keith Ellison from Minnesota. Also the representative version of Congress for demographics of religion includes 70 members who theoretically should be unaffiliated. It would seem that those who wish to serve in the actual Congress require a religion in order to be successfully elected in to office. The same sentiments can be applied to the Executive Office of the President. All of the Presidents in history have been affiliated with a religion. The demographics that are given of both the current and reflective show the dynamics that happens within Congress. A major problem with the current demographics of Congress is that there is not as many members of minority descent as there should be. The statistics that are given show that white male protestants still hold a firm grasp in Congress with the minorities and females slowly making progress in becoming members of Congress. The reflective number of independent voters would be interesting if it were true. Perhaps then the two major parties won’t have as much of a say as they currently have.
Maggie Senft, Period 6
Demographics play a very large role in US Government. The components of race, religion, sex, all weigh heavily on a person’s political affiliation and beliefs. Even though the United States is considered a “melting pot” of various cultures, the backgrounds of members of Congress show otherwise. Congress shows little to no diversity in its members, with a staggering 85% majority being Caucasian. The members of Congress are not an accurate representation of the demographics of the United States; for example, the number of male members outweighs the corresponding female representation 448:91. The majority of the members of Congress are additionally Protestant, with very little accounts of other faiths. These demographics play a large role in the members’ ways of thinking and thus how they will vote for legislation. For example, since minorities are not being represented they will not get a fair say in the government. There should be an equal amount of members of Congress to create diversity. This would allow the government to be an accurate and true representation of the nation they are representing.
Demographics, in theory, should play a large role in Congress. However, I believe that the demographics of Congress do not play a large role over a large scale? What is the difference between a woman and a man who believe in the same things? A white man and a black man? A catholic man and a Jewish man? Besides their demographic, nothing. On Capitol hill, the only thing that matters is what they believe in, not how they got there. The population of the United States votes for the candidate that they believe will do the right thing in Washington, and represent their beliefs. It does not matter if that person is White, Black, or green (ok I probably wouldn't vote for someone that's green) but what matters is what they believe in. Is a vote in the House from a woman or a man any different? A vote is a vote, and the Population of the United States will choose those who best represent them, no matter what their demographics are. The demographics of Congress are not a significant factor, it is what the members of Congress believe in that is a significant factor. Inside, everybody is the same, which is why demographics should not and do not play a significant role in Congress.
Kaitlyn Gaudio
I would say that Congress is generally representative of us in regards to peoples political
beliefs. The House is currently run by the Republican majority, but the numbers aren’t
overwhelming in comparison to the Democrats. The minorities, like Hispanics and such, are the
minority, so they obviously won’t have an overwhelming majority any time soon. Considering the
countries population, approximately 83.7% of us are not Hispanic or Latino. Hispanics and
Latino’s are actually 16.3% while Black/ African Americans are only 12.2% of our population.
Since there is a smaller percentage of them, for now at least, they will receive less of a say.
That’s just how it goes. Again the majority of us are white, which is the type of race we see
dominating in Congress. One thing that is slightly “uneven” would be the gender type. Males
dominate over woman in Congress, but this isn’t surprising. Tradition has it that males typically
super seed woman in these particular areas. A fine example of this is the fact that we haven’t
had a woman President yet. The representatives also our wealtheir than most, which is also why
they tend to serve in Congress over others. The poor population might lack some representation
in that there are no poor people in Congress. However we have liberals who tend to favor the
poor and demonize the rich, so they receive some say anyways.
Period 6
Demographics play a monumental role in the political system of the United States. The current Congress in place today, however, is clearly not an accurate representation of the citizens in America. This nation was formed largely based on the fact that the colonists in the New World did not receive proper representation in the British government. I find it comical that America has basically chosen to follow in Britain's footsteps. The minorities are not represented in the House according the various colorful pie charts. African Americans are extremely under-represented, seeing as if Congress was truly reflective of the population, blacks would have a much bigger portion of the pie chart. Restricting African Americans' their full potential to be in Congress is a detriment to both said race and the country as a whole. They have diverse viewpoints that should be treasured by the government, seeing as not many other federal governments can claim to have a wide variety of multiracial congressmen. Similarly, women are also severely underrepresented in the current Congress. Women can also offer valuable opinions that affect both males and females, and it is important for female representation to be equal to that of males.
It also important, however, to keep in mind that the current Congress is composed this way because of the voters. The voters are the people who are putting people in office. It is possible that Congress is composed in this fashion due to the fact that perhaps more males are qualified than females to uphold their job. It might not even be a racial or sexist act. The voters could simply be voting for who they believe is the most qualified.
Nonetheless, it is clear that the current Congress does not properly represent the population, and this could just serve as a detriment to society.
Allison Saffiotti
A person’s beliefs are often shaped by their race, age, gender, sexual orientation and religion. Therefore, their political ideology, and ultimately who they vote for is determined by their demographics. I feel that the United States Congress does not accurately represent all American citizens. The average member of congress is a republican, white, male, who is protestant. In today’s society, I feel this does not properly represent the people of America. For instance, on the “this is not my beautiful house” pie chart, it shows that 457 members of congress are white while only a staggering 44 members are African American and only 27 are Hispanic. This I feel more depicts American society because America has always been considered a “melting pot” of cultures. There should be more of a diversity of race in congress. I found the lack of women in congress to be even more shocking. There are only 91 females in congress but there is an astounding 448 male representatives. This obviously does not portray American society properly considering the ratio of males to females in nearly equal. I feel that the lack of a diverse congress, ultimately, causes the voters to suffer most. They are not represented by those who share common demographics, so legislation that would directly impact them goes unrecognized. I feel that in order to have a more fair and modern congress, there must be more diversity amongst members. If this were to happen new legislation can be introduced to benefit American society.
The chart pictured above attempts to display a disparity between the current and ideal demographics of Congress. Unfortunately the chart also begs the question when it comes to representation of the individual. As America is a representative democracy, it elects representatives to speak for large populations of people. Any person can vote for any candidate to represent them, regardless of gender, race or affiliation. Therefore it's irrational to call Congress not characteristic of America as a whole.
Dr. King proposed that each one of should judge a man not based on the color of his skin, but of his character. This holds true with any candidate running for congress. Is it reasonable to ask any voter to only vote for a candidate that completely fits their demographic in the name of equality? No. Any reasonable voter should make their decisions in a well informed manner based on qualifications, political views, and a good track record. Looking at it this way then, the current status of Congress is only in disparity if the people of America do not vote for who they feel to be the best candidate.
As we learned, there are different roles that members of Congress can play when voting. Delegate is one; trustee is another. So, when it comes to the demographics of Congress playing a role in voting, I guess this depends on the issue. For example, for many issues where Congresspeople vote based on what their constituents wish for. Job creation is one issue that is probably not affected a great deal by race, religion, or sex. But, sometimes our representatives play the role of trustee. As a woman, I feel that the overwhelmingly male congress does not have the right to play trustee when it comes to voting on issues such as abortion, birth control, and women's’ rights. If Congress were truly representative of the population, the women’s voice would be heard much louder. Additionally, Congresspeople have salaries and wealth that is much greater than the general population, causing ignorance when it comes to issues such as poverty, welfare, and insurance. Religion is another huge issue. Protestants rule the floor in Congress, as well as Catholics. But, much of America is unaffiliated. Although unaffiliated and other religions are not a majority, it is important that religion is kept out of politics, and with almost all of Congress being Protestant, Catholic, or Mormon, this is a challenge. Also, there are very few gay and lesbian people in Congress, and few other underrepresented minorities especially Asians and Hispanics. The voices of these people must be heard, and the way Congress is now, this is almost impossible on many social issues dealing with money, race, religion, and sex.
I think it is very clear that demographics play a major role in the political system of our country. Things like gender, age, ethnicity, political affiliation, and religion shape who you are and what you believe in. The unequal distribution of people in each of the demographic categories is not a fair representation of the people of our nation, so the true beliefs and attitudes of the American people are not being addressed. There is no reason why the differences between certain demographics should be so large. Take the gender demographic for example – there are 448 men and 91 women. I feel that this country has come so far in terms of breaking barriers between different groups, whether it be racial or what, to still have such unequal representation in charge of the United States.
Megan McGrath
In the day and age of our nation’s first African American president, one would think our Congress would be equally representative and that the stereotype of only white Anglo-Saxon Protestant males influencing politics would be a thing of the past. Yet, when looking at the demographics of America’s legislators it is evident that this stereotype may be more accurate than citizens realize. Religious beliefs, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender all play significant roles in shaping a person’s political and social beliefs, and therefore influence how that Congressperson will vote on legislation and politically behave. Thus, these demographics do play a significant part in our nation’s government. The male/female ratio is nearly 4.5 to 1, or 448 male and 91 female, which is ridiculous in a country almost half female and half male. Women aren’t getting their voice heard with only 17% in congress and they should be heard in Congress because they are the most underrepresented group at this time. Men and women obviously think very differently and have very different interests and the interests of women are not being equally represented in our government. Even worse, half of the nation also has these interests, thus at least half of the nation is not being represented. In addition, diverse racial representation in Congress is also important, because different races and ethnic groups often have different interests and needs, and it is important that there are a representative number of Congressmen and women to vocalize these interests. However, Asians, Hispanics, African Americans, and Native Americans are also severely underrepresented when taking into account the proportion they represent in our population. There is currently 8% of Africa Americans in congress and there would only be 11% in a reflective congress. There is currently 5% of Hispanics and 15% would be in a reflective congress. There is 1% of Asians in congress right now and there would only be 4% in a reflective government. Also, different religious groups have differing moral values, and although church and government should be completely separate, religious views often affect the decisions of representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. The United States was founded on the basis of religious freedom and for decades different religions have flourished in this nation, therefore it is important that representatives of all religions have a voice in Congress, because that way the varying views and morals of the United States population will be represented in the government. There is also a disproportionate representation of religious beliefs - there are far more Protestants, Catholics, and Jews in Congress than is proportional to their numbers in the United States’ actual population. Currently, the most underrepresented group would be the unaffiliated who currently have 0% of representation, compared to 16% they should have if it was reflected. The last discrepancy is that even though about 30% of Americans identify themselves as unaffiliated with the Democrats or Republicans, our Representatives are clearly either Democrat or Republican, with only two falling into another category. Further, there are far more Republicans in Congress than the proportional amount of Republicans in America.
Therefore, it is evident that our perfect democracy is not so perfect and that our representation is not so representative. Demographics play a huge role in shaping policy. Representatives who come from different ethnic, cultural, economic, and religious backgrounds have different perspectives and our lack of accurate representation makes the government unable to actually represent the views, diversity, and political desires of the American population. Our current congress does not represent these ideals of America and clearly only represents the white, Protestant, males from either the Republican or Democratic parties. Leaving Americans asking, what happened to our melting pot?
Period 6 Matt Mendonca
The demographics represented by the chart and by Wikipedia’s Congressional demographics undoubtedly play a large scale role in our government. There are multiple factors that play into a Congressman’s decision on a vote. Among these influences are the person’s religious belief, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender, all of which shape a person’s political and social beliefs. America is typically deemed what is known as a melting pot, meaning that there are many apparent and distiguishible differences between the citizens living in our country. America is known for its diversity, multiple cultures, countless ethnicities, and changing lifestyles. This is all due to the fact that when the colonists discovered the America, they were technically foreigners. Americn isn’t really a backround because immigrants were the ones who poured into the country from all over the world. Our government is supposed to represent diversity, and consider the interests of all people, even minorities. It is also a goal for our representation in Congress to reflect the population. However, this is often a problem due to the fact that the scale of men to women and minorities to majorities is unbalanced, therefore influencing votes on subjects in the favor of the larger group. For example, in the country as a whole there is almost an equal number of men and women but in Congress, men outweigh the number of women with a scale of over 4 to 1. This means that despite women having different interests and views, they may not have equal representation in our government. The same goes for people with different ethnic backgrounds. It is assumed that Hispanics may have different views than Caucasians or African Americans, but due to the comparison of the 27 Hispanics to the 457 Caucasians in Congress, it is obvious, the white population has more say and influence. This is why it is sometimes the goal to make provisions to passing bills that are approved by every group of people. There’s always another problem that gets people pretty heated and defensive, which is religious affiliation. Different religious groups are going to have have differing moral values. Religious views often influence the decisions made by representatives when voting on legislation and in creating their platforms. Due to the variety of very different religions in America, it is important that congressmen and women of all religions have a voice in Congress, because without different voices and opinions congress would not continue to work the way it does. Although equal representation is somewhat unfair and flawed, it is impossible to please everyone and as of right now, it is the most efficient system to deal with the struggles in Congress.
Demographics definitely play a great role in the United States government. A congress member’s religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, gender, and political party are all significant factors in determining a person’s social and political views, and how he or he vote. The United States is no doubt a diverse nation. It is difficult to truly represent the nation’s population based on those demographics. I think that in terms of race and religious beliefs, we are realistically close. It is nearly impossible to represent every single American. However, the ration of the women to men in Congress is extremely low. Realistically America is about 50 % women and 50 % men, however, women are greatly outnumbered by men in congress 91 to 448. Although we may not agree with all the decisions made in Congress. The citizens of America voted for these people to represent us. If the American society is truly unsatisfied with the current government, then there is always something that can be done to elect more minorities, or people with no religious beliefs.
While making Congress an exact proportional representation of the United States population is a lofty goal it is impossible and unnecessary in the modern era. Congress is far more white, wealthy and, educated than the general population. Nobody would argue that it is a negative for Congress to be too well educated. The entire country is being governed by the best a small group of people they should be the smartest people in the entire country. Further, because these are some of the smartest people in the world you would expect them to be some of the most successful. The capitalist economic system of the United States rewards talent wherever it is found. People who are naturally smarter and more business savvy than the average person are reward with tremendous riches. This is exactly how it should be; the best people are the most successful. Therefore, it is logical that they are wealthy. Further, the times of someone’s race controlling their lives are thankfully nearly over. What is more important now is your ability. This country does not need a black senator to represent the interest of a black man. Instead the black man needs a senator who shares the same ideas not the same color skin. In the end, the country is controlled by the people and if individuals were truly unhappy with those who represent them in Congress the representative would be looking for jobs. The country is happy with the status quo and that matters more than anything else.
While the United State’s government was founded on the tenants of popular sovereignty and representative democracy, the actual look of Congress right now appears to have veered away from that. Race, gender, and religion are three of the biggest influential factors in a person’s religious affiliation along with their voting habits. The candidate who best suits and mirrors the voter will inevitably earn their vote.
According to the chart however, this seems to be flawed. With the general population being 50/50 male to female, the overwhelmingly male congress is a shock. In fact the ratio isn’t even close to 1 to 1. This makes the validity of this Congress on issues such as abortion questionable. How can we expect them to make laws that are supported by the majority if they do not accurately represent them?
Furthermore, the two party sweep of Congress is by no means a good representation of the voting population. While the members of the Democratic party is represented correctly, the independent voters are nearly not represented and instead republican politicians have taken over those spots.
While the American political system is one of the most democratic in the world, it does not truly represent the people. Republican, white males dominate Congress, the supposedly most representative branch of the government, a stark contrast to the widely racially and gender diverse country. The begs the questions, is our government truly listening to the people?
Trace Lange Period 8.
Demographics, this plays a very big role in government. It's very clear the role of elected officials, to represent the people that have elected them. without demographics this in nearly impossible. the religious beliefs, sexual orientation, race, gender, and political party are all significant factors in determining a person’s social and political views. these are also all demographic factors without these the people of a geographic area are poorly represented. eliminating the main point of this elected official, no man or women should be judged by anything but his or her character. Now Demographics should accurately show the population of any populated area, this is no different for the U.S. Representatives.
Tiffany Wang
Demographics play a large role in the US government. The person’s religious belief, race, sexual orientation, political party, and gender, all of which shape a person’s political and social beliefs. The demographics of our representative congress do not match with the demographics of our current nation. There is virtually little to no diversity represented in congress. Women are heavily under represented in congress, as it does not reflect the gender ratio to real life; approximately 1;1. But in the current Congress, only 91 females represent the entire female population of the United States as Males greatly outnumber them with 448 seats in Congress. Minority races are also greatly under represented. It is known that minority races such as Hispanic, African Americans and Asians are more likely to vote democrat than republican, which would also distort congress’ political affiliation. Congress should reflect the American population to represent our diverse population.
Emily Smith
Period 6
In politics, demographics are extremely significant because, more often than not, specific demographics tend to fall on one side of the political spectrum, or at least have strong opinions of issues, based on their demographic alone. Therefore, there is no doubt that demographics play an overwhelmingly influential role in Congress. For instance, African American citizens and females tend to side with more of a Democratic stance while Christians tend to vote more Republican. This proves that demographics, whether it be for a particular set of morals or just a economic preference, have a fairly significant impact on a person’s political ideologies.
After looking at the chart and reading about the demographics of Congress, I would say that we have a fairly diverse Congress. Of course, according to the chart, representation of each demographic is not exactly in congruence with the actual representation of the demographic in our nation, but in all honesty, is this a realistic goal? There is without a doubt a fair amount of each ethnicity and religion in our Congress. The pie charts for both of these demographics for both Congress and the nation are very similar to the point where there is not much of a distinguishable lack of representation in Congress compared to the nation. For the most part, I believe Congress has a fair, even distribution of demographics. There is one exception to this opinion and that is the demographic of gender roles. There are only 91 females in Congress compared to 448 males, when in the nation; the amount of females is just as much as the amount of males. This is absolutely appalling to me; for god’s sakes we are in the 21st century and by now, men should realize that women are completely equal, if not superior to men in many ways. Women should have MUCH more representation in Congress. Their views on politics may be different then men’s, but this different perspective of politics could be just what our nation needs. Basically, there is way too much male input in our Congress, women need to step up and demand more influence in Congress. This is one of the reasons I plan to run for the House when I’m older; women are rational, patient thinkers, and would be excellent in Congress.
Overall, Congress is a melting pot of demographics, just like our nation. Although our nation has many people “undecided” our Congress cannot have this; Congress’s sole purpose is to make decisions about our government. Our government is currently bipartisan, it consists of Republican and Democratic members, therefore, too many independents or “undecided” members could throw off the whole entire system. If Congress consisted of all independent members, they would get less accomplished than they already do. I am almost completely satisfied with the demographics of our Congress because it is realistic and fair.
I definitely believe that demographics accounts for some significance in our government system. Our current society is obsessed with labels, and in politics, labels will further one’s opinions about candidates, policies, and other affairs. The way a person votes in elections, or whether they are liberal or conservative reflects through demographics. In the reflective congress, it seems that there are many more “gray areas”… showing that those individuals are not exactly representative in either political party. This is a huge increase from the mere two individuals in our current congress. But the political affiliation is not even as drastic as gender, where the reflective congress shows an even split between both genders. Our current congress has 448 males compared to 41 females! It shows so much how with a reflective congress, there would be more equality. Race in the reflective congress definitely shows a wider distribution over what our current congress is. The opposite goes for religion though, the current congress definitely portrays more religion now than what would be in a reflective congress. This can show that religion is a controversial topic in our nation and should be dealt with on a more subjective level. Religion should not have a huge emphasis in determining political views, yet it should show some representation/opinion.
Patrick Winiarski
The ideal US demographics do not correlate in any way shape or form with the current demographics. Political affiliation, gender, race, religion all seem to have a lop sided majority in each category projected. Such as the current male to female ratio within the government an astonishing 448:91, while the reflective ratio would have an even 50% ratio of 218:218. This shows how poorly represented congress is compared to the demographics of the rest of the nation. Another issue that is very prevalent is the race ratios, in our congress the Caucasian standings are much higher then any other race on the list, which proves that the minorities are being poorly represented since there is such a vast majority of Caucasians within the government. A similar trend seems to be the case within the other categories such as political affiliation and religion. Therefore congress does not represent the average nations actual population diversity as shown in the demographics chart which is a problem, and this should be corrected to reflect the real diverse population.
Jesse Eddy Period 8
The demographics of the house should theoretically not be a problem because the population elects them to represent there ideas and the best interest of there district and that is what I naively hope the representatives do. The demographics show that the demographics of the house and the demographics of the country are not matching what so ever, but this should not matter because all people of all backgrounds technically have an equal chance of winning a seat but the people end up putting who ever they wanted. If a county in Texas wanted a young black female democrat to be there representative they would elect them to the position. The people do not elect based on demographics but based on the people running's ideas. Of course I am in all the majorities in this data so my view point could be skewed as a result, but I would like to think that the American people vote for who they believe will lead the best not because of demographics.
Lexi Koukos
Period 6
Demographics play a very large role in the united states government. The United States is known as the “melting pot”, however I feel as though it is not being accurately represented in our current congress. Our founding fathers created the nation based off of immigrants coming from other countries with unequal treatment and for those who were not being equally represented. Whether it be because of a congress members sexuality, religion, race, occupation, background, or other aspects it is going to have some effect on their decision when voting. A common stereotype is that Hispanics and African Americans vote democratic, while christian caucasians vote Republican. In order to have a true representation the nation would need to distribute congress evenly based on the amount of members involved. Today illegal immigrants are a large problem and I feel that a minority like this, that is growing into more of a majority needs to be equally represented in congress, in order to protect their rights as well. Then you also have the African American population that is rapidly expanding. They are severely under-represented in this seeing as though they should be more of the overall population. By under representing this group it is hurting the countries ability to grow and to learn more about itself. By having such a diverse and multicultural congress this will help the country become more diverse and it will allow it to thrive. Besides hispanics and African Americans, women are also very poorly represented. Female representation is just as valuable as men representation and it should be so. Our population is not male dominant, so for that reason it is necessary that both are equally represented seeing as though women and men have different ways of thinking and each has a different way of going about things. This could benefit congress and could aid in decision making. In the end it is important to remember who chooses these congressmen and women to represent us. It is not the congress people, but the nations people, the voters. The voters are the ones picking the people to represent us and put them in office. These issues may not be directly linked to the voters however. There could be outside issues like eligibility of candidates and it may not have anything to do with the sexual orientation or race. It would seem more rational to think that the voters are just voting for whom they want. In the end I feel that the congress is not a good representation of the United States and that it could effect the nation in a negative way, unless we make congress more diverse.
Mike Thomas P6
Although our Congress doesn’t equally represent all the demographics in the United States, these men and women from all different backgrounds were elected into congress for a reason. No government is perfect but in this democracy of America, people’s ideas are still represented. With white republican males being majority in the congress, we put them there. In Senate, the population directly votes for men and women for the Senate seat. Anyone from any different background may run if they qualify. There is no possible solution to acquiring the perfect congress with an equally amount of representation across the board with all minorities from every single background perfectly represented.
Our great nation has come a long way and is much more diverse in demographics. The way in which people vote does depend to an extent on demographics but when the only true candidate who do the best job is a white republican male, do you not vote for him because he is not your religion, gender or Age? Certainly, religion, race, sex, gender, age, and income allow play a role in shaping who people but people do not vote based primarily on the grounds of demographics. People vote for people they feel confident about and believe in that person. People should see candidates for what they stand for. Did people vote for Obama because he is black?
The country is not perfect, but Democracy in America has prevailed and will continue to do so.
I believe that the demographics is very important the the united states government. this is because many people do sometimes vote for members of government or officials because of skin color. i recall some voting for the president just because he was African American. i do expect to see a lot of diverse race to be elected . this is because the demographics of the government have been change and most likely will continue to change.
Jeffrey Lee Peroid 8
The demographics really aren't that big of a deal, because these are men and women who have been selected because of their ability to lead and make decisions for the common good. Even if they don't physically represent their district or state, they still go to Capitol Hill and vote with all their constituents' interests in mind. In addition, it would be very hard to make the "perfect House" with its balanced demographics because that means a couple hundred years' stereotypes have to be broken almost over night. For example certain races fill up a higher percentage of jails in certain regions. Therefore, a portion of that minority's population just disqualified itself. Another reason why demographics do not matter is because there will never be a bill in the House favoring one race or one gender over the other, because it would be against the Bill of Rights. They'll never be voting on something where demographics will have a direct impact. Sure, being a female might make you more liberal, and being Catholic might make you a bit of a social conservative, but they were chosen with these views on full display. These people were chosen for their views and their ideas, because they are best at representing every one's interests, not because they matched the majority's race and religion. Even so, I feel it's important to reserve a couple seats in Congress for women, African Americans, Hispanics, etc, because these seats will be needed to help prevent the House from passing any bill that indirectly hurts a minority group. When the country feels that the minorities of the country are ready to step up to the plate, then they most certainly will be elected, especially if they excel at representing everyone's interests, not just the interests of their minority.
Bella Guo
Period 8
Demographics play a significant role in the US elections. Congress is not even close to being a true representation of America. This country is filled with different minorities and cultures, yet Congress remains a majority white males, with few if any African Americans. These men and women are supposed to be representing the entire nation, not just the white nation. Minorities therefore have trouble getting their voices heard. Congress is also a majority male, which is definitely not an accurate representation because our country is pretty much half male and half female. Also, there is a great number of independent voters in our nation. To fairly represent them in Congress, there should be 81 where there are currently only 2. Religions are also unfairly represented. Because of all these misrepresentations, certain legislation cannot be passed to support the will of these neglected citizens
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That was Kayleigh Torok
Angela Yang
Congress is supposed to be an accurate representation of how the people of the United States. Therefore e demographics of Congress should line up with the demographics of the United States. What I find the most atrocious about the representation in congress is the amount of senators/house representative that are women, the vast different in numbers is in fact completely astounding. For over centuries women have struggled for equal rights, however it's rather depressing to see first hand how little impact has been made in representation in government. Looking into the presidency for example, we have never had a female president. We have never even had a female vice president. Since the declaration of independence from Britain in 1776 and after all these years the United States that prides it's self on being a land of equality is it to shame. Clearly women's rights are still a battleground.and looking at the chart, there are a literally no representation for the independents. As it is extremely hard to become elected without having the support of a major party, literally two independent congress men are currently in congress trying to represent the 20% of the population that is independent!? That is just atrocious. When the constitution was first drafted there had been no mentioned a two party system, in recent times these two parties have gained power to the point that no other part can even hope to challenge them. Other groups known simply as interest groups, must hope only that their ideals will be picked up by one of the larger parties. Another shocking revelation was the lack of representation of minorities, despite the fact that America is known as he melting pot, a land built by immigration, congress is still somehow run by to put it simply: Old white men. These demographics aren't that's shocking to me, as I had known this all along, but it is clear that something is wrong with congress.
No Mas
The demographics of our nation are important and are crucial for being represented. No one category, in theory, should be predominant among the rest of the categories. If possible, the seats in congress would be occupied by an accurate representation of our nation. However this is not so. This shows how demographics don’t play a large role, at least in accurate representation of ethnicity or gender or religious beliefs in the house and senate. However demographics play a role regardless, for it is those who are in the demographics that elect these representatives. A representative may not have the same skin tone or the same religious beliefs, they may still be elected due to popular vote. A clear-cut example of this is our current president Barrack Obama. Although the Caucasian population is greater than that of the African American’s, Obama was still elected. Not based on his ethnicity but due to his political beliefs. Politicians are not representative of factors such as race, gender, faith, income etc. Their main purpose is to represent the political values of their constituencies who are people, not blacks or Asians or whites, but people.
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