The “Italian Americans by the Numbers” Series

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Articles1/3

Italian Americans by the Numbers – Comparative ethnic population totals and percentages

Italian Americans by the Numbers – Where we live.

Italian Americans by the Numbers: Age, Gender & Generations

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Note: Report Style

The ACS used a report style that I have not seen before on spreadsheets. So I would call the readers attention to it.

Notice that row 10 “Unmarried partner” is indented from row 9 “Nonrelatives”.  I understand (i.e. my interpretation) this to mean that “Unmarried partner” is a subset of “Nonrelatives”.  In other words, “Nonrelatives” is divided into two parts: stated 2.1% “Unmarried partners” and implied 3.3 % (5.4% – 2.1%) ‘other’ types of “Nonrelatives”.

In Table II below this indented form of reporting is considerable.

Comparing the Italian American population with the American population as a Whole

The percent number in Column E is the difference between the percentages in columns B and D (#% in B - #% in D).  Thus, Column E is a measure of how the Italian American population differs from the American population as a whole. A positive number means, in percentage terms, the American population is larger than the Italian American population, and minus number means, in percentage terms, the Italian American population is larger.

Absolute value

Column F is the absolute value of the number in column E (i.e. the number in column E with the minus signed removed).  The average absolute value (row 11 column F) is a measure of how much difference there is between the Italian American population and American population as a whole, for all the measures in the category “Population in households”. (Note: my terminology not ACS; “category” row 5; “measures” of the category rows 6-10)

Thus, the ‘category’ “Population in Households” is described with four ‘measures’ in rows 6- 10.  The average absolute value (row 11 column F) of 1.8% for the four measures gives us some idea of how different the Italian American population is from the American population as a whole in the category “Population in Households”. 

Whether or not this difference is significant I can’t say objectively (i.e. there are no objective statistical criteria for making a judgment). Subjectively, it seems insignificant. This is to say: regarding the four measures in the category “Population in Households” Italian Americans seem to be ‘typical’ Americans.

However, I would call attention to ‘Child’ measure in row 7.  Column E row 7 is -4.5%. This tells us that the percent of Italian American children living at home is 4.5% greater than the American population as a whole.  That strikes me as a significant difference.  It is certainly much higher than the other percentage differences between the two populations. Keeping in mind the above definition of ‘child’, which is not limited by age or marriage, please see the Discussion section below about what the Italians call “Mammoni” (i.e. “Mamma’s boy”).

Total Population in Households

Notice that the “Total National populations” numbers (row 3 columns B & D) are greater than “Population in household” numbers (row 5 columns B & D).  I speculate that the difference is the number of people who are not living in “housing units”, rather living in ‘institutions’ such as the military, prison, college, etc. 

Accordingly, the total population of Italian Americans is 17,756,915 and 17,356,658 of them are living in “households.”  Therefore, 400,257 are living in places not defined as “households.” So where are our amici living”? Good research topic for grad students in Italian American studies or sociology.

II. ‘Household Types’ Table

Note: Again the indentation form of the report. Again, I understand this to mean that an indented row is a subset of the previous row.  To facilitate reading, I have introduced text colors.

Thus, in the main category “Households” (row 5) there are two main subsets “Family households” (row 6 dark red) and “Nonfamily households” (row 12 dark red) which, in turn, have subsets (light red), etc. The row indentations and color codes form a spreadsheet outline.

Note: The “Average absolute value” is 1.2% (row 19 column F) suggest to me that the difference between Italian Americans and the American population as a whole is not significant in  “Households” category.

 

Also, note the virtual identical numbers in “Average household size”(row 20 column B) and “Average family size” (rows 21 column D).  Again, suggesting that the average Italian American is a ‘typical’ American. Raising the question: What does it mean to be an Italian American?

  III ‘Marital Status’ Table

Note again, the similarity in the percentage numbers (columns E & F).  The “Average absolute values” of 1.1%, 1.0 % and 1.2% (column F rows 11, 20, 28 respectively) seems to be suggesting that the typical Italian American is a typical American.  Again, raising the question: What does it mean to be an Italian American?

 

 

Discussion

 

1.  What does it mean to be an Italian American?

 

The similarities of the percent numbers in the above tables suggest to me that at least in the categories measured and reported, the ‘typical’ Italian American is a ‘typical’ American. Accordingly, the question comes to mind: What does it mean to be an Italian American?  As this series progresses, that question will be raised in each report.

 

The answer may be that cultural variables may not be measured by the Census Department.  If so, the burden of answering the question would fall to scholars other than demographers. Consider for example, two great Italian American cultural studies “Street Corner Society” by W. F. Whyte and “The Urban Villagers” by H. J. Gans.  These are good examples how culture is not (cannot?) be captured in quantitative values alone. 

 

Also, the arts cannot be ignored in coming to understand the meaning of Italian American.  A good artistic compliment to the above anthropological studies is Tina De Rosa’s incredible “Paper Fish”.

 

A philosopher of science (Whitehead I think) said: “If you can’t count it, you can’t talk about it.”  That may be true for physics, but it clearly is not true for cultural studies.

 

2. Mammoni

 

One category in the above tables that clearly differentiates Italian Americans from typical Americans is “Children living at home”.  See: Table I “Household Relations” row 7 (“Child”) column E.  This tells us that Italian Americans have 4.5% more children living at home than the typical American.  Keeping in mind that the Census Departments definition of ‘Child’ is not limited by age or marriage, this difference may indicate that Italian Americans are similar to their brethren in Italy.

 

There have been a number of mass media articles lately about what the Italians call “Mammoni”.  See for example,

Italians call “Mammoni”.  See for example, http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/43571/in_italy_living_at_home_well_into_your.html and

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1565237/Italys-mammas-boys-given-cash-to-fly-nest.html    

 

The gist of these articles is that a very high percentage of Italian ‘men’   between the ages of 18-35 live at home with their parents.  This phenomenon has been pejoratively characterized in Italian as “Mammoni” (Mamma’s boy” or “Big Mummy’s boy”). 

 

The relatively high percentage of Italian American children living at home might possibly suggest a common cultural connection with Italian Italians (so to speak).  Of course, the emphasis is on possible.  Such a conclusion would entail serious sociological research.  However, the fact that the 4.5% difference in the Children living at home is the largest differential we have seen so far between the Italian American population and the American population as a whole cannot be ignored when considering the question: What does it mean to be an Italian American?

 

 

3. Absolute Value (general discussion)

 

I’ve suggested that the absolute values of percent differences between two populations is a method of comparing the similarities and differences between the Italian American population the Total American population.

 

What follows is my understanding of my very old and dusty ‘college algebra’ textbook.  I present it not to instruct; rather, to make clear my thinking.

 

Two values shown in the graph below are +3 and -3.  Both represent distance from zero (0).  The plus sign (+) indicates direction (i.e. to the right of zero). The minus sign (-) indicates direction (i.e. to the left of zero). The plus and minus signs indicate direction but not distance.

 

 

However, regardless of direction to the left or right, both distances are equal.  Both are three units from zero.  For example, think of two people standing on a street corner and the street corner is point zero (0). If one person travels 3 miles west (think to the right of zero) from a street corner and the other persons travel 3 miles east (think to the left of zero) from the corner, then both would have traveled the same distance i.e. 3 miles, albeit in different directions.

 

To compute the average distance travel by both people, one has no choice but to use absolute values.  To compute the average, add the two numbers and divide by 2.  If one adds +3 and -3 the sum is zero.  Zero divided by 2 equals zero.  Obviously, the average distance traveled in this example is not zero.

 

Using absolute value: 3+3=6, 6/2=3.  The average distance traveled by the two people is 3 miles.  Which is obviously true.

 

Similarly, in the census tables above, when comparing the % of population numbers of the ‘total American population’ and the ‘Italian American population’, I subtract the Italian American population #% from the Total American population #%.  Accordingly, if the ‘Italian American #%’ is larger than the ‘Total American’ then the difference will be a negative #%. Using the absolute values of the differences, gives a measure of the difference between the two population in the measured category.

 

Again, anyone who thinks my math erroneous or my logic fallacious, PLEASE advise through e-mail [email protected].  The comments section’s notification process is inconsistent.  E-mail assures that I will get your response.  Thank you