CORAL GABLES, FL (November 3, 2008)-While there is no agreement on the number of Jews in the United States, nor whether that number is increasing or decreasing, it probably matters little in the ability of American Jews to have their say in the political system, according to Ira M. Sheskin, University of Miami associate professor of Geography and Regional Studies and director of the Jewish Demography Project at the UM Sue and Leonard Miller Center for Contemporary Judaic Studies. Sheskin will present the facts and figures of the changes in the Jewish-American population over the last four decades and an analysis of the political implications, during the "Race, Ethnicity and Place Conference" on November 5-8, in Miami.
The Jewish population of the U.S. has undergone major geographic shifts in the past 40 years. Many have moved from the Northeast and Midwest to the South and the West. However, electoral votes have done the same, thus the Jewish vote continues to have an important influence in the American political system.
"Jews continue to concentrate in the most populous states with the most electoral votes," said Sheskin "With elections being decided by one to five percentage points even this small minority can influence an election, particularly in states with somewhat larger percentages of Jews."
Although Jews in the U.S. represent only about two percent of the population, they are close to four percent of the people who vote. Jews are a higher percentage of voters than of the general population, because they are older and tend to register and vote in higher proportions, according to Sheskin.
Around 90% of Jews in the U.S. are registered to vote. Many are politically active, attending meetings or rallies, contributing money to a political party or candidate, as well as communicating with government officials. More than 60% of Jews in America are registered Democrats and about 14% are registered Republicans. The rest are independents, or have other political affiliations.
"The data show that the political leanings of American Jews are consistent from generation to generation, and that the American Jewish community will almost certainly continue to be more associated with the Democratic Party," said Sheskin.
Sheskin will present his findings at "The Race, Ethnicity and Place Conference" co-sponsored by the University of Miami. The event will take place November 5-8 2008, at the James L. Knight International Center, 400 SE Second Avenue, in downtown Miami. The conference is part of Decision 2008: A Dialogue for Democracy, the University of Miami dynamic series of events designed to foster dialogue on the most pressing issues confronting our nation today.
For more information about the fourth biennial "Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference" call the UM Department of Geography at 305-284-4087, or log on to http://rep-conference.binghamton.edu
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