| Introduction |
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1 | (4) |
| Executive Summary |
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5 | (8) |
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13 | (1) |
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Americans Find Life More Exciting |
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14 | (6) |
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Americans Feel Richer and Poorer |
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20 | (5) |
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Gun Ownership Has Declined |
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25 | (5) |
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Americans Are Not So Mobile |
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30 | (3) |
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Most People Say No to Traditional Sex Roles |
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33 | (5) |
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Sexual Attitudes Are Loosening |
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38 | (4) |
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42 | (6) |
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Americans Are Less Confident in Leaders |
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48 | (6) |
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Confidence in Political Leaders Is Low |
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54 | (8) |
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Most Crime Rates Are Down, but the Murder Rate Is Rising |
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62 | (6) |
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67 | (1) |
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Big Gains in Educational Attainment |
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68 | (9) |
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Most Preschoolers Are in School |
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77 | (7) |
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SAT Verbal Scores Have Fallen |
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84 | (3) |
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Most High School Graduates Go to College |
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87 | (5) |
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In College, Women Outnumber Men |
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92 | (8) |
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College Costs Are Soaring |
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100 | (2) |
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Women Earn Most Bachelor's and Master's Degrees |
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102 | (20) |
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121 | (1) |
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Health Status Is Declining |
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122 | (3) |
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125 | (2) |
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Most Babies Are Born to Women in Their Twenties |
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127 | (5) |
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Hispanics Now Account for One in Four Births |
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132 | (7) |
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Out-of-Wedlock Births Have Surged |
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139 | (4) |
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Most Americans Are Overweight |
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143 | (3) |
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Cigarette Smoking Has Fallen Sharply |
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146 | (4) |
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Hypertension and High Cholesterol Are Less of a Problem |
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150 | (4) |
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Employment-Based Health Insurance Coverage Is Declining |
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154 | (3) |
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Hospital Outpatient Care Has Grown Rapidly |
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157 | (4) |
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The Heart Disease Death Rate Is Falling |
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161 | (2) |
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Increasingly, Cancer Is a Treatable Condition |
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163 | (4) |
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The Death Rate Is Falling |
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167 | (4) |
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Life Expectancy Is Growing |
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171 | (5) |
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175 | (1) |
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Homeownership Is Close to Its Record High |
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176 | (5) |
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Married Couples Are Most Likely to Own a Home |
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181 | (4) |
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Nearly Half of Blacks and Hispanics Are Homeowners |
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185 | (4) |
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Homeownership Is Highest in the Midwest |
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189 | (3) |
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Homeownership Is Highest in the Suburbs |
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192 | (6) |
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Living Conditions Have Improved |
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198 | (4) |
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201 | (1) |
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Household Affluence Is at a Peak |
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202 | (3) |
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Household Income Is Up and Down |
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205 | (7) |
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Working Wives Have Kept Families Afloat |
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212 | (4) |
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Women's Incomes Are Rising Faster than Men's |
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216 | (12) |
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Women Earn 77 Percent as Much as Men |
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228 | (6) |
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Less Poverty for Most Americans |
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234 | (10) |
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Few Married Couples Are Poor |
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244 | (10) |
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253 | (1) |
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The Face of the Labor Force Has Changed |
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254 | (5) |
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Labor Force Participation Is below the Record High |
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259 | (4) |
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The Labor Force Participation Rate of Older Men Is Rising |
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263 | (8) |
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Women and Blacks Have Made Big Gains |
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271 | (23) |
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Computers and Health Care Lead the Pack |
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294 | (7) |
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Most Married Couples Are Dual Earners |
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301 | (9) |
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Self-Employment Is Becoming Less Common |
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310 | (2) |
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Job Tenure Has Been Stable |
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312 | (3) |
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More Cars, Less Carpooling |
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315 | (2) |
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Most Workers Have Access to a Defined-Contribution Retirement Plan |
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317 | (7) |
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323 | (1) |
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Lifestyles Have Changed Dramatically |
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324 | (6) |
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Fewer Households include Children |
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330 | (6) |
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More Children Live with Mother Only |
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336 | (7) |
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The Young Are More Dependent |
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343 | (6) |
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Most People Marry, but Later than in the Past |
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349 | (5) |
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Interracial Marriage Has Become More Common |
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354 | (4) |
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357 | (1) |
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The U.S. Population Is Growing |
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358 | (5) |
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The United States Is Increasingly Diverse |
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363 | (5) |
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The Mobility Rate Has Fallen Since 1950 |
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368 | (3) |
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Many Americans Were Born Abroad |
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371 | (8) |
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Some Regions Are More Diverse than Others |
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379 | (7) |
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Nevada Is Growing the Fastest |
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386 | (5) |
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Texas and California Have Minority Majorities |
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391 | (11) |
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The Suburbs Are Home to Half of Americans |
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402 | (28) |
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429 | (1) |
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Spending Patterns Have Changed as Our Standard of Living Has Grown |
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430 | (2) |
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Average Household Spending Is Growing |
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432 | (5) |
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Older Householders Are Spending More |
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437 | (22) |
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Blacks and Hispanics Spend Less than Average |
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459 | (7) |
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Married Couples with Children Are the Biggest Spenders |
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466 | (13) |
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Spending Is Highest in the West |
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479 | (13) |
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College Graduates Are the Biggest Spenders |
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492 | (14) |
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505 | (1) |
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Net Worth Barely Increased between 2001 and 2004 |
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506 | (3) |
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Most Households Own Financial Assets |
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509 | (4) |
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Nonfinancial Assets Are Most Important |
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513 | (3) |
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Most Households Are in Debt |
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516 | (3) |
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The Expected Age of Retirement Has Climbed |
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519 | (2) |
| Glossary |
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521 | (5) |
| Bibliography |
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526 | (4) |
| Index |
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530 | |