WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 (UPI) — By 2065 the United States is expected have 441 million residents, the increase largely through immigration, a study released Monday indicated.
The 130-page report by the Washington-based Pew Research Center comes 50 years after the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act ended a quota system favoring immigration from European countries.
Since 1965, 51 percent of immigrants to the United States have come from Latin America and 25 percent from Asia. The growth in the U.S. population since 1965, from 193 million to 324 million, was spurred by immigrants and their descendants, who account for 72 million people, or 55 percent of the growth.
The report, an analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, predicts that by 2065, Asian arrivals will account for 38 percent of all immigrants, with Latin American arrivals making up 31 percent. Mark Lopez, the Pew researcher who oversaw the study, noted the increase in Chinese students attending graduate schools, and Indians who have come to work in high-tech employment positions.
The report also showed 45 percent of Americans say immigrants are making U.S. society better; 37 percent say they are making it worse; and 47 percent view Asian immigrants positively and 11 percent see them in a negative light. Immigrants from Africa and Latin America were viewed positively by 26 percent, and negatively by 26 percent and 37 percent, respectively.
Across the United States, Latin Americans represented 4 percent of the population in 1965, a figure that has increased to 18 percent in 2015 and is projected to be 24 percent by 2065. Asians were 1 percent of the population in 1965, are currently at 6 percent and are expected to be 14 percent by 2065.
