How politicians are unlike America
How do members of the 114th Congress, which starts next week, compare with the average American? The most obvious difference is that they are 66 times as likely to be lawyers. (For Senate Democrats, the figure is 112 times.) This may explain why America has so many laws, and why some are longer than “War and Peace”. Congressfolk are three times as likely as other Americans to have served in the armed forces and 1.6 times as likely to be male. They are slightly whiter than the nation they serve, and far older: 25% are over 65, compared with 14% of Americans. Protestants and Catholics are well represented on Capitol Hill; Mormons and Jews punch above their weight. Hardly any lawmakers, however, admit to being atheists or agnostics.
This article appeared in the United States section of the print edition under the headline "How politicians are unlike America"
From the January 3rd 2015 edition
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