American descent
In the American census of 2000, 7.2% of the population said they were American descent ( american ancestry ). This self-designation does not mean an Indian ancestry, which was listed as a separate item in the questionnaire; rather, these US citizens mostly relate their origins to the colonists of America , i.e. the first European Americans, the majority of whom were emigrants from the British Isles . A large part is actually to be assigned to the English- born Americans or come from other areas of the United Kingdom . Another common motivation is a lack of knowledge of one's parentage.
numbers
According to the Census, the number of “Americans” was 20.2 million US citizens in 2000. Compared to the 1990 Census , this number has almost doubled. This makes them the fifth largest group within the population of the United States. In 2013 it was 21.6 million, according to the American Community Survey .
Geographic focus
The American population is concentrated mainly in the southern states , especially in the states of Tennessee , Kentucky and West Virginia . In these countries, the group forms the relative majority with around 20% of the population.
background
The named states were settled by Europeans relatively early. This is one reason why the population defines themselves as "American", as opposed to residents of other states who were later colonized. There is also a greater emotional closeness to the ancestors' country of origin, due to the fact that the ancestors immigrated more recently.
It is also noticeable that the population of “American descent” mainly lives in the southern states, a part of the country that is generally considered to be rather conservative. Nationalist-patriotic motives may also come into question.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Results of the Census 2000 (PDF; 480 kB).