The evolution of American politics and policy has been intimately bound with demographic and geographic change. The influence of the "GI" generation, the increasing post-WWII suburbanization, and the emergence of the "baby boom" generation have each had a profound impact on American society. The Future of Red, Blue, and Purple America, a joint project from the American Enterprise Institute and Brookings Institution, brought leading demographers, geographers, and analysts together to examine the impact of seven new trends on the 2008 election and the future of American politics.
Some key trends to watch include:
- The maturation and development of suburbs and the increasing prevalence of exurbs
- Increased geographic clustering of people with similar ideology and partisanship
- Changing immigration patterns and the growing importance of the Hispanic vote
- The decline of the white working class and the rise of a mass upper middle class
- Changes in family structure and views, as married households with children decline and single and alternative households increase
- The aging of the baby boomer generation and the rising influence of the Millennial generation
- The twin increase of highly observant Christian evangelical denominations as well as the secular, the nonobservant, and those with nontraditional religious practices
These trends were discussed and analyzed in great detail at a February 28, 2008, conference in Washington, D.C. Papers presented at the event will appear periodically on this site and in an upcoming volume to be published by the Brookings Institution in September 2008.
The Future of Red, Blue, and Purple America is co-directed by Karlyn Bowman, senior fellow at AEI, and Ruy Teixeira, visiting fellow at Brookings.
Featured Papers
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William H. Frey |
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Race, Immigration and America's Changing Electorate
by William H. Frey
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Ruy Teixeira (L) and Alan Abramowitz (R) |
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The Decline of the White Working Class and Other Changes in the Class Structure
by Alan Abramowitz and Ruy Teixeira
Religion and American Politics: More Secular, More Evangelical . . . or Both?
by John C. Green and E. J. Dionne
Conference Presentations
The Decline of the White Working Class and Other Changes in the Class Structure
by Alan Abramowitz and Ruy Teixeira
The Big Sort-Migration,Community, and Politics in the United States of "Those People"
by Bill Bishop and Robert Cushing
Race, Immigration and America's Changing Electorate
by William H. Frey
Religion and American Politics: More Secular, More Evangelical . . . or Both?
by John C. Green and E. J. Dionne
The Aging of the Boomers and the Rise of the Millennials
by Scott Keeter
The New Suburban Politics: An Analysis of Metropolitan Voting Trends Since 2000
by Robert E. Lang, Thomas W. Sanchez, and Alan Berube
Changes in Family Structure, Family Values, and Politics: 1972-2006
by Tom W. Smith
Event Materials
: Video and Audio
: Summary
: Transcript
