Part
01
of one
Part
01
Poor and Working Class White Voters - 1980
In 1980, 89% of voters in the United States were white. According to our calculations, about 12% of those white voters accumulated an annual income of under $10,000. At least 18% of them were between the ages of 30 to 39. Meanwhile, 64% were married, and 25% were unmarried. An estimated 75% of white voters in 1980 did not have a college education. Below we have presented an outline of our research strategy, our calculations, and the findings from our research.
METHODOLOGY
To provide the requested information, we expanded the scope of our research to obtain data on poor and working-class white voters in rural and urban United States in 1980. Since this request requires information that is nearly 40-years-old, we examined reports published as late as 2008. We explored sources such as PBS, NCBI, Brookings Institute, and Intelligencer among others to find the required information. However, we could only locate minimal data. We then searched for information on databases like the Census Bureau and American FactFinder. Still, we could not find any valuable details for this particular request.
Next, we searched for research reports or articles on white voters in 1980 hoping to come across information that we could use to triangulate an answer. We were able to locate statistics from the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research that were relevant to this request. We also discovered that 89% of voters in 1980 were white. To build a demographic profile of white voters in the United States in 1980, we utilized this figure to calculate information concerning the age, marital status, education, income, and household union of this group. We assume that the resulting figures are relevant to poor and working-class white voters in the rural and urban regions of the country during this time.
CALCULATIONS
AGE
In 1980, 22% of voters were 18 to 29-years old, 20% were 30 to 39, 16% were 40 to 49, 25% were 50 to 64, and 17% were 65 and older. With these figures, we can calculate the percentage of white voters for each age range by multiplying them by the portion of white voters (89%) and dividing the result by 100. This calculation goes as follows:
- 18 to 29: (89% * 22%)/100 = 19.58 or 20%
- 30 to 39: (89% * 20%)/100 = 17.8 or 18%
- 40 to 49: (89% * 16%)/100 = 14.24 or 14%
- 50 to 64: (89% * 25%)/100 = 22.25 or 22%
- 65 and older: (89% * 17%)/100 = 15.13 or 15%
MARITAL STATUS
The percentage of married and unmarried voters in 1980 was 72% and 28% respectively. Since we know that during this time, 89% of voters were white, we multiply those figures by the portion of white voters and divide the result by 100.
- Married: (89% * 72%)/100 = 64.08 or 64%
- Unmarried: (89% * 28%)/100 = 24.92 or 25%
EDUCATION
Around 84% of voters in 1980 had no college education, while 16% had a college education. As with the previous calculations, we merely multiply these percentages by the portion of white voters and divide the result by 100.
- Non-college Education: (89% * 84%)/100 = 74.76 or 75%
- College Education: (89% * 16%)/100 = 14.24 or 14%
INCOME
The following is the percentage of American voters in 1980 that accumulated specific levels of income:
- Less than $10,000: 13%
- $10,000 to $14,999: 14%
- $15,000 to $24,999: 30%
- $25,000 to $50,000: 24%
- More than $50,000: 5%
We can calculate the percentage of white voters that accounted for each of the income levels by multiplying the figures by the portion of white voters.
- Less than $10,000: (89% x 13%)/100 = 11.57 or 12%
- $10,000 to $14,999: (89% x 14%)/100 = 12.46 or 12.5%
- $15,000 to $24,999: (89% x 30%)/100 = 26.7%
- $25,000 to $50,000: (89% x 24%)/100 = 21.36 or 21.4%
- More than $50,000: (89% x 5%)/100 = 4.45 or 4.5%
HOUSEHOLD UNION
- Household Union: (89% x 26%)/100 = 23.14 or 23%
- No Household Union: (89% x 62%)/100 = 55.18 or 55.2%
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF POOR AND WORKING CLASS WHITE VOTERS IN RURAL AND URBAN UNITED STATES (1980)
Though the median household income in the United States has remained the same since the year 1980, the rate of poverty has risen. The volume of white voters who were employed in the rural regions of the nation in 1980 was more than 15% higher than those within the urban areas. Less than one-third of American adults did not possess a high school diploma. Furthermore, 80% of citizens in the United States was white in 1980, as were 89% of the voting population. Around 36% of voters during this time were from the "greatest generation." An estimated 31% were from the silent generation, while 33% were baby boomers.
AGE OF WHITE VOTERS IN 1980 (CALCULATIONS ABOVE)
- 18 to 29: 20%
- 30 to 39: 18%
- 40 to 49: 14%
- 50 to 64: 22%
- 65 and older: 15%
MARITAL STATUS OF WHITE VOTERS IN 1980
In 1980, approximately 64% of white voters were married, while 25% were unmarried.
EDUCATION OF WHITE VOTERS IN 1980
- Non-college Education: 75%
- College Education: 14%
INCOME OF WHITE VOTERS IN 1980
- Less than $10,000: 12%
- $10,000 to $14,999: 12.5%
- $15,000 to $24,999: 26.7%
- $25,000 to $50,000: 21.4%
- More than $50,000: 4.5%
HOUSEHOLD UNION
- Yes: 23%
- No: 55.2%