Diversity Explosion: How New Racial Demographics are Remaking America

by William H. Frey

Overview

Race is once again a contentious topic in America, as shown by the divisive rise of Donald Trump and the activism of groups like Black Lives Matter. Yet, Diversity Explosion argues that the current period of profound racial change will lead to a less divided nation than today's older whites or younger minorities fear. Prominent demographer William Frey sees America's emerging diversity boom as good news for a country that would otherwise become isolated from the rest of world while facing declining growth and rapid aging for years to come.

In this updated and revised edition of his award-winning book, Frey draws lessons from the 2016 presidential election and fresh statistics to paint a clear picture of where America's racial demography is headed—and what it means for the nation's future. His new analysis of election data and the changing electorate shows how Trump's win highlights a major fissure in today's America: a cultural generation gap where many baby boomers and seniors are fearful about the nation's diversifying population, while at the same time younger adults—especially millennials—welcome it. Frey explains how, despite this gap, broad demographic forces will alter the nation's social and political landscape in the not-too-distant future, as older Americans and those living in red states come to absorb and embrace the contributions of multihued generations that are rapidly growing and dispersing. Clearly, the phrase “demography is destiny” is salient in ways that both political parties need to recognize.

Drawing from the U.S. Census, recent national surveys, and related sources, Frey tells how the rapidly growing “new minorities”—Hispanics, Asians, and multiracial Americans—along with African Americans and other groups, are transforming and reinvigorating communities from cities to suburbs and from the coasts to the heartland. He discusses their impact on generational change, neighborhood segregation, and interracial marriage, as well as presidential politics.

Diversity Explosion is an accessible, richly illustrated overview of how unprecedented racial change is remaking the United States once again. It is an essential guide for political strategists, marketers, investors, educators, policymakers, and anyone who wants to understand the magnitude, potential, and promise of the new national melting pot in the 21st century.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780815726494
Publisher:	Brookings Institution Press
Publication date:	11/19/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

William H. Frey is a senior fellow with the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution and research professor in population studies at the University of Michigan. Frey is an internationally recognized demographer with expertise in U.S. demographics, American political demographics, and the U.S. Census. His commentary and observations appear frequently in major print, online, and broadcast media..

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 A Pivotal Period for Race in America 1

2 Old versus Young: The Cultural Generation Gap 21

3 America's New Racial Map 43

4 Hispanics Fan Out: Who Goes Where? 65

5 Asians in America: The Newest Minority Surge 87

6 The Great Migration of Blacks, In Reverse 107

7 White Population Shifts: A Zero-Sum Game 131

8 Melting Pot Cities and Suburbs 149

9 Neighborhood Segregation: Toward a New Racial Paradigm 167

10 Multiracial Marriages and Multiracial America 191

11 Race and Politics: Expanding the Battleground 213

12 America on the Cusp 239

Acknowledgments 253

Notes 257

Index 289

Editorial Reviews

In a definitive guide to America’s demographic transformation, Frey gives us the facts and figures needed to understand how we got to where we are as a people and the even greater changes still ahead. Some books speculate about the future; this one calculates certainties. —Roberto Suro, professor of journalism and public policy at the University of Southern California

"What happened to the country I grew up in?” As a journalist I hear that question all over America, especially from older white people. Blacks and all but the most recent immigrants say it too. Let Bill Frey expertly explain the change and why it is good for everyone. A great read! —Juan Williams, Fox News political analyst, The Hill columnist, and author of Eyes on the Prize: America’s Civil Rights Years

Bill Frey has mapped the contours of the emerging Next America more powerfully and presciently than anyone else. With Diversity Explosion, he gives us nothing less than a field guide to the American future. Frey has looked deep into the data and emerged with a book that is not only comprehensive and compelling but also ultimately hopeful in his faith that Americans will come together to seize the enormous opportunities generated by our kaleidoscopic demographic change. —Ronald Brownstein, editorial director, Atlantic Media, and author of The Second Civil War: How Extreme Partisanship Has Paralyzed Washington and Polarized America

From the Publisher