Americans Overestimate Population of Jews and Others
(January 14 - 20, 2022)
When it comes to estimating the size of demographic groups, Americans rarely get it right. In two recent YouGov polls, respondents were asked to guess the percentage (ranging from 0% to 100%) of American adults who are members of 43 different groups. The surveys found that Amercians tend to vastly overestimate the size of minority groups.
| Category | Estimated Proportion | True Proportion |
| Are Muslim | 26% | 1% |
| Are Native American | 27% | 1% |
| Are Jewish | 30% | 2% |
| Are gay or lesbian | 30% | 3% |
| Are atheists | 33% | 3% |
| Are bisexual | 29% | 4% |
| Are Asian | 29% | 6% |
| Are Black | 41% | 12% |
| Are Hispanic | 39% | 17% |
| Are Catholic | 41% | 22% |
| Are Democrats | 51% | 42% |
| Are Republicans | 50% | 47% |
| Are White | 59% | 64% |
| Are Christian | 58% | 70% |
Source: @YouGovAmerica, (January 14 - 20, 2022).
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