Smaller Households

DATA: C.S. Monitor has an interesting article on recent demographic shifts in America, complete with pop culture references to keep your attention.

Since 1970 the percentage of households containing five or more people has fallen by half. [...]



"The demographic trends that we are seeing are really quite dramatic, and are creating what I see as backlash," says Bella DePaulo, a psychologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara.



Ms. DePaulo sees a gap between the nation's actual demographics and the way society is reflected on TV, in advertisements, and so forth. "There is this relentless glorification of marriage and coupling at a time in the nation's history when marriage has never been less important," says DePaulo.