The current American political system is significantly shaped by demographic factors such as race, age, gender, and socioeconomic status. Since party characteristics largely reflect and shape the American political system, it is worth paying attention to their priorities to understand the impact of demographic factors. Each of the Democrat and Republican parties has its electoral groups structured across these demographics. In terms of class distinctions, while Democrats cater for the working class, Republicans promote the interests of more affluent groups (Stonecash, 2019). Regarding race and gender, the Democrat party has a disproportionately higher number of black, Hispanic, and female political representatives than the Republican party (Bump, 2020). Younger people also tend to be more Democrat-leaning since this party often promotes the issues that concern the more youthful generations, such as climate change, student debts, social support, and inequality. Thus, the more significant proportion of younger, working-class, racial, and gender minorities in one of the parties indicates that demographic factors play a crucial role in the American political system.
Each of these demographic groups is vying to influence American society and politics by emphasizing their concerns. The most widespread tool of influence is social movements or protests. One of these movements is the Black Lives Matter protests, which recently, after the death of George Floyd, has been very vocal and has captured nationwide attention. Media plays an important role both as part of these movements and separately to raise awareness about the issue. News and popular culture have the power to expose the injustices that these minorities experience and galvanize social support. Hence, a variety of tools are available for demographic groups to raise their voices.
References
Bump, P. (2020). Analysis | The Democratic Party was more racially diverse in 1996 than the Republican Party is today. The Washington Post. Web.
Stonecash, J. M. (2019). Class and party in American politics (1st ed.). Routledge.