Not a day passes here without some outrage over the Democratic "betrayal of the base" or "true progressives".
Not a day passes here without some vitriolic critique of President Obama and a host of elected Democratics for perceived inaction and yes action too, action that was too slow too fast too little too late.
Not a day passes here without some premature schadenfreude over the losses Democrats may suffer in Novemeber.
Not a day passes here without some needless niggling debate over the meaning of racism or sexism or heterosexism or classism.
Not a day passes here that I don't shake my head in utter amazement at some segment of this so-called "reality-based community" that is allegedly dedicated to electing "more and better Democratics".
How are the views represented here at such odds with those held by the communities I am a part of here and in real life???
And then, because I am a sociologist, there is not a day here where I do not remind myself of Daily Kos Audience Demographics and the overwhelmingly preponderance of White. Over 50. Well-off. Male.
Yes.
White. Over 50. Well-off. Male.
According to data collected by Quantcast, the Daily Kos audeinece is overwhemlingly white (93%), well-educated (80% college grads and more) and affluent (37% make >$100k) and disproportionately older (53% >50) and male (64%) when compared the demographics of Internet Users.
This data is consistent with other indicators that demonstrate that Daily Kos demographics are also out of sych with on-line activist demographics; other sources include polls, surveys, and critiques of the older white maleness of Netroots Nation.
In fact, rather than increasing demographic diversity since these issues were raised years ago, the opposite seems to be occurring. Despite the more balanced demographics of the front page, despite the presence of community diary series such as SistahSpeak, Black Kos, SheKos, GLBT and Friends at Daily Kos, Kosability, Criminal InJustice Kos, and strong representation from Native American Netroots, DK readership seems to be whiter richer and more male than ever. Those who have followed Quantcast Reports will note, for example, that African American readership has declined from a high of 9% to 4% over the past 2 years.
Now certainly there are exceptions to this aggregate data -- certainly there are alles and certainly there are invaluable contributions made to Daily Kos discussions by this older whiter more affluent demographic. But let's be clear -- this is a rarified readership that is not generally reflective of either Internet Users or On-line activists and absolutely not reflective of USA demographics.
US POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS
US Census Bureau QuickFacts
Population, 2009 estimate 307,006,550
AGE
Persons under 5 years old, percent, 2009 6.9%
Persons under 18 years old, percent, 2009 24.3%
Persons 65 years old and over, percent, 2009 12.9%
Median age 36.7 years
GENDER
Female persons, percent, 2009 50.7%
RACE/ETHNICITY
White persons, percent, 2009 (a) 79.6%
Black persons, percent, 2009 (a) 12.9%
American Indian and Alaska Native persons, percent, 2009 (a) 1.0%
Asian persons, percent, 2009 (a) 4.6%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, percent, 2009 (a) 0.2%
Persons reporting two or more races, percent, 2009 1.7%
Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, percent, 2009 (b) 15.8%
White persons not Hispanic, percent, 2009 65.1%
NATIONALIITY/LANGUAGE
Foreign born persons, percent, 2000 11.1%
Language other than English spoken at home, pct age 5+, 2000 17.9%
EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT
High school graduates, percent of persons age 25+, 2000 80.4%
Bachelor's degree or higher, pct of persons age 25+, 2000 24.4%
DISABILITY
Persons with a disability, age 5+, 2000 49,746,248
INCOME
Median household income, 2008 $52,029
Persons making more than $120,000 annnually 17%
Persona making more than $200,000 annually 2.5%
Persons below poverty level, percent, 2008 13.2%
Worst still for a site aiming to influence Democratic policy and politics is this -- Older affluent highly educated white men are NOT the Democratic Party voter base.
Where are the voices and visions of those who have long made up the unswervng mainstay of the Democratic Party -- African Americans, the poor and the unionized working class, women, Latino/as, the young??
Not here.
Here is the Democratic Base and it is MIA at Daily Kos.
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE 2008
BLACK AMERICANS
95% of black voters went to the ballot for Obama and only 4% for McCain.
Obama has succeeded in mobilizing African-American voters who, although strongly Democratic, have in the past been apathetic in turning out to vote.
WHITES
55% of white votes went to McCain including the notoriously hard-to-win white working class vote, but Obama stunned many by taking an impressive 43% of total white votes, cutting the Republican lead compared with 2004.
LATINO/A
66% of Hispanic voters turned out for Obama - the best ever result for a Democrat. McCain only took 31% of the Hispanic vote, despite courting them heavily in his campaign.
ASIAN AMERICANS
63% of Asian voters went to the ballot for Obama and 34% for McCain.
WOMEN
56% of the female vote went to Obama, exceeding the usual Democrat advantage. It should be noted that while Obama won the female vote overall, he lost the battle over white women by 7 points.
UNDER- 30's
66% of under-30's showed their support for Obama - far higher than in any previous election - compared to 31% for McCain.
A staggering 54% of young white voters also went for Obama.
Overall, this also helped Obama secure a high number of first time voters; 71% of whom voted Democrat.
The Daily Kos audience demographic is not the past of the Democratic Party. It is not the present of the Democratic Party and it is certainly not the future of the Democratic Party.
Daily Kos is NOT the base.
Daily Kos is NOT the progressive vanguard of the left wing.
Daily Kos is White. Over 50. Well-off. Male.
It is time and long past time for other voices -- Black Brown Young Female - to be afforded more credence in evaluating policies and current political trends, to be better represented, and yes to be actually heard here.
It is time to bring on The Base.
Electing more and better Democrats requires nothing less.
Represent or become irrelevant.
UPDATE: How ever imperfect Quantcast data may be, their numbers are consistent with all known data sources on this matter, including DK Community demographic diaries. All are linked in the diary. The demographics of this site are really not in dispute. White. Older. Well-Off. Male.
Thanks for all the supporttive comments and requests for suggestions as to how to increase demographic diversity and representation at Daily Kos. Because there is much to be said on this, these suggestions will be the subect of a future diary, which will hopefully be done in collaborration with my comrades here.