New England Online > Culture & Society > Demographics
Demographics
Most of the New England population descends from 19th and 20th century immigrants, who came from Great Britain and Ireland. At the time of independence, the population of New England was a mere 300,000. Over the last forty years, that population has increased to 2.4 million, with the growth being the result of one the worlds most progressive immigration schemes, and a solid birth rate with families having two or three children. The rate of population growth is expected to decline rapidly after 2055 when the present Immigration Control Act expires.
Whilst the vast majority of immigrants have been Australians and New Zealanders of Anglo-Irish origin, there are now established communities of Chinese, French, Germans, Indians, Koreans and South Africans mostly in Armidale, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie. These groups number less than 8% of the total population, but they have already left their mark on New England's society and culture.
Indigenous New Englanders
New England's indigenous people, the Australian Aborigines, are estimated to have arrived between 50,000-60,000 years ago. The Aboriginal population currently numbers about 67,000, representing 2.8% of the population. Since the end of the Second World War, efforts have been made both by the government and by the public to be more responsive to Aboriginal rights and needs. Today, most Aborigines of New England are of mixed descent and live in the cities.
Demographic Variables
New England is overwelming Anglo-Irish in langauge and ethnicity. 80.9% of New Englanders can trace ancestry of two or more grandparents back to Britain or Ireland. Of the remaining 19.1%, 10% are from Europe (France, Germany and the Netherlands), 2.8% of can trace ancestry back to before Europeran settlement in 1821, 2.5% are from South Asia (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh), 2.1% are Asian (mostly China, Korea and Vietnam) and 1.7% of New Englanders come from other parts of the world, with almost all of these coming from Kenya, Zimbabwe, Botswana and South Africa.
Cultures - New England is comprised of two major cultural groups. The predominately new population that arrived during and after the civil war, known as Newcomers, and the the pre-independence population, known as Settlers, who are descended from the colonists of nineteenth and twentieth centuries. On the whole, the Newcomers tend to be more progressive and progressive and live the Armidale or in the major coastal cities. Settlers, on the other hand, tend to be more conservative, and live in the smaller and more rural counties of the west and north of New England.
Age, Sex & Gender - The majority of the baby boomer generation has now died. A small number do still remain, and comprise of about 2% of the population. New England does have a very young population. 22% of the population is aged 15 or younger. It is this boom that will allow for a reducation in immigration after 2055. Typical of many western nations, there a slightly more women than men. Improved living and health standards have evened the score somewhat, and in 2050 the population consisted of 1,200,120 women (50.005%) and 1,199,880 men (49.995%).
Religion - New Englanders are varied in their own belief systems. No one religious belief is held by a majority of people. With 916,800 or 38.2% of the population professing to be Unitarian. Christians number 741,600 or 30.9%. Christianity was once the dominant religion in New England when it was adhered to by 77% of New Englanders. But as time has gone by, most people have drifted out of the church towards Unitarianism or the other smaller, but significant religions of New England. 10.3% of New Englanders are Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim or Sikh. 20.6%, profess to no faith at all.
Langauge - New England has a large number of spoken languages, but only English enjoys offical recognition. All children are expected to be able to read and write English fluently before they can enter the workforce. Those that fail are held back in Language Schools until they pass. New Englander's speak with a unique accent, which is a cross between the Australian and New Zealand accents. Unlike Australia, American spelling is considered incorrect and is not accepted or taught. By law, any language that has more than 10,000 native speakers automatically qualifies for minority language status, meaning that all government agencies must provide information in those languages and have interpters available if requested. To date, no langauge has reached this level.
Community
Most New Englanders rent their homes from either a private landlord or through the Department of Housing. Rent is considered cheap by world standards and the quality of the home is very important to New Englanders. The average person is very house proud and takes great pride in the making a home that is unique and suitable to their needs. Most landlords consider the freedom to make minor modifications important in retaining tenants and increasing the value of their property. As a result, written permission is only required for major rennovations that would require permission from the county council. In many instances, the landlord and tenant will work together to devise (and pay for) rennovations to a property. Real Estate agents nowadays seldom deal with property management, concetrating on sales instead.
Most homes are either brick or weatherboard, and by law cannot be built on blocks of less than one-quarter of an acre (1,000sq/m). Most people live in the cities and these in turn are divided into small urban villages with a village centre or "high street" containing essential services and basic foodstores. Within this village, one can find all the shops that are necessary for daily life - grocers, butchers, markets (like the modern supermaket without a fruit or deli section), clothing shops, keysmiths, shoe shops, post offices and pubs as well as churches and public transport links like train stations and tram stops. Most New Englanders live within fifteen minutes walk of a village centre. Large shopping centres are restricted to just a few number. Greater Armidale, a conurbation of 495,000, has just four major shopping centres, which contain large chain shops. Most people continue to shop at smaller shopping areas.
Homelessness is virtually unheard of in New England. Those that feel that they can no longer afford to live in a house or feel that they cannot run a household at all are offered free support and assistance in managing their home life and controlling the finances to run the house. In the most extreme circumstances, a person can surrender financial authority over to a state representative who will take charge of paying bills and making sure enough money is put away for the person to be able to afford any expenses that may arise from an emergency.
Statistics Summary
Population:
2,400,000
(2050)
Age structure:
0-15 years: 22%
16-64 years: 56%
65-99 years: 10%
100 years and over: 10%
Population growth rate: 8.70% (2050)
Birth rate: 9.85 births/1,000 population (2050 est.)
Death rate: 3.25 deaths/1,000 population (2050 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2050 est.)
Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female (2050 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 0.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2050 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Total population: 92.24 years
Male: 90.86 years
Female: 93.63 years (2020 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2050 est.)
Nationality:
Noun: New Englander
Adjective: New English
Ethnic groups: Caucasian 75.9%, South Asian 10%, Asian 9.8%, Indigenous 2.8%, Other 1.5%
Religions: Unitarian 38.2%, Christian 30.9%, Other 10.3%, None 20.6%
Languages: English 99.9% (Official), Other 8.0%
Literacy (Age 15 and over can read and write):
Total Population: 99.85% (2050 est.)
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.9%
