Ageing in the United States at the End of the Century

Abstract

The belief that America is a "young" nation is widely held by many individuals in the United States. Historically, individualism, self-reliance, and an orientation towards youth have been cherished values reflecting of our national heritage and tradition dating from the 18th through the mid-20th Century. However, America is no longer a "young" nation. Rather, we are an "aging" population, as we show in our analysis of demographic transitions reviewed in this paper. The phenomenon of "cultural (or structural) lag" is discussed in two different contexts: first-the context of the aging family; and second-the context of ethnic/racial minority groups. Finally, some of the relevant public policy responses to aging are described. We look at government programs in four major categories, namely, 1) income; 2) health care; 3) social services; and 4) housing.