为什么需要进行人口普查?

Every 10 years since the year 1790, the U.S. government has attempted to count its people. EarthSky spoke with Dr. Mark Mather, a demographer at the Washington, D.C.- based Population Reference Bureau, about the 2010 U.S. Census.

自1790年起，美国政府每隔10年进行一次人口普查。今天节目组采访了华盛顿人口资料局人口统计学家马克．马瑟博士，他就美国2010年人口普查状况发表了看法。

Mark Mather: This is a great resource to look at population change, not only at the national level, but the regional level, state level, and to see what’s happening in local communities all the way down to the city block level.

马克．马瑟：人口普查不仅能准确反映出一个国家、地区、州县的人口趋势，还能为社区乃至街区的人口变化提供参照。

He said regional population trends matter, because they’re closely linked to labor supply and demand – and economic growth.

马瑟表示，一个地方的人口趋势将对当地造成很大的影响，它与劳动力市场的供求情况以及经济增长紧密相关。

Mark Mather: There are parts of the country that are growing very rapidly. And then, there are some areas – especially the Midwest – that have been losing population for decades.

马克．马瑟：美国有些地区发展很快。有些地方近几十年来人口一直在减少，特别是中西部。

Mather talked about other trends he expects the 2010 U.S. Census to reveal.

马瑟谈到了今年人口普查将反映出来的新趋势。

Mark Mather: We have all these baby boomers who are just now starting to reach retirement age. The baby boomers are mostly white. But that stands in stark contrast to the U.S. population under age 18, who are increasingly Latino, and Asian, and multiracial. The fastest growing groups are mostly Latinos. Some of those groups are facing the biggest challenges. There are big gaps in education, gaps in income and health status. And so the fact that those groups are a growing share of the population really, really matters.

马克．马瑟：婴儿潮一代即将步入退休年龄。他们大多数是白人。相反，美国青少年当中却有越来越多的拉美人、亚洲人和其他民族的人。他们有的面临严峻挑战。这些人的教育程度、收入和健康状况存在较大差异。随着他们的人口比重日益增大，这一现象势必给国家和社会造成影响。