Majority of US Population Now Under Age 40
2020-08-14
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1A new study shows that Americans under the age of 40 now make up a majority of the U.S. population.
2The finding came from an examination of detailed age data released by the U.S. Census Bureau.
3The examination was carried out by the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. policy and research center.
4The Brookings study found that people under age 40 made up 50.7 percent of the U.S. population as of July 2019.
5The percentage represented 166 million people.
6Older age groups numbered 162 million people.
7Many of the older people are considered "baby boomers" - people born in the years following World War II.
8They have long been an important group in America because of their large numbers.
9Many of the people under age 40 are in a group known as "millennials."
10Members of the millennial group were born between 1981 and 1996.
11People in another group, the so-called "Generation Z," were born after 1996.
12A generation is a group of people born and living during the same time.
13William Frey is a senior fellow at Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program.
14"To many Americans - especially baby boomers themselves - this news may come as a shock," he wrote in a report about the study.
15Frey added that for many baby boomers, the term "millennial" has a negative meaning.
16But now, he explained, "the millennial generation is poised to take over influential roles in business and government."
17Those under age 40 are more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, with almost half saying they are part of a minority group.
18Past public opinion studies have shown that younger generations differed from older generations on major political issues such as immigration, criminal justice and the environment.
19Frey wrote that the coronavirus health crisis and recent racial justice protests are likely to cause the younger groups to promote a number of progressive causes.
20Progressive refers to using or being interested in new or modern ideas, especially in politics and education.
21I'm John Russell.
1A new study shows that Americans under the age of 40 now make up a majority of the U.S. population. 2The finding came from an examination of detailed age data released by the U.S. Census Bureau. The examination was carried out by the Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C. policy and research center. 3The Brookings study found that people under age 40 made up 50.7 percent of the U.S. population as of July 2019. The percentage represented 166 million people. Older age groups numbered 162 million people. 4Many of the older people are considered "baby boomers" - people born in the years following World War II. They have long been an important group in America because of their large numbers. 5Many of the people under age 40 are in a group known as "millennials." Members of the millennial group were born between 1981 and 1996. 6People in another group, the so-called "Generation Z," were born after 1996. 7A generation is a group of people born and living during the same time. 8William Frey is a senior fellow at Brookings' Metropolitan Policy Program. "To many Americans - especially baby boomers themselves - this news may come as a shock," he wrote in a report about the study. 9Frey added that for many baby boomers, the term "millennial" has a negative meaning. But now, he explained, "the millennial generation is poised to take over influential roles in business and government." 10Those under age 40 are more diverse in terms of race and ethnicity, with almost half saying they are part of a minority group. 11Past public opinion studies have shown that younger generations differed from older generations on major political issues such as immigration, criminal justice and the environment. 12Frey wrote that the coronavirus health crisis and recent racial justice protests are likely to cause the younger groups to promote a number of progressive causes. Progressive refers to using or being interested in new or modern ideas, especially in politics and education. 13I'm John Russell. 14Mike Schneider reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Bryan Lynn was the editor. 15_______________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17poised- adj. ready or prepared for something 18diverse - adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other 19promote - v. to help something happen, develop, or increase; to make people aware of something, such as a new product through advertising; to make something more popular, well-known, etc.