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Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for December 5, 2018
The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
December 5, 2018: Eighty-nine percent (89%) of U.S. homes now have air conditioning. It’s so natural that we don’t recognize how unusual it is historically. Morgan Housel points out that “only one in 10 American homes had air conditioning in 1960. That rose to 49% in 1973.” As for the 11% who don’t have it today, most live in cold climates.[1]
As I wrote in The Sun Is Still Rising: Politics Has Failed But America Will Not, “Societal changes take place so slowly that we rarely see them unfold on a day-to-day basis. Our culture and lifestyles adapt so quickly to new technology that we soon can’t remember life without the latest innovation. But when we look back over any significant period of time, the scale of change is truly breathtaking.”
Housel’s Motley Fool article listed many other examples of this phenomenon. Here are just a few:
- “According to the Census Bureau, the average new home now has more bathrooms than occupants.”
- “In 1900 there was one housing unit for every five Americans. Today, there's one for every three. In 1910 the average home had 1.13 occupants per room. By 1997 it was down to 0.42 occupants per room.”
- “Two percent of American homes had electricity in 1900. ... Even by 1950, close to 30% of American homes didn't have electricity. It wasn't until the 1970s that virtually all homes were powered.”
- “The average American house or apartment is twice as large as the average house or apartment in Japan, and three times larger than the average home or apartment in Russia."
A recent Number of the Day highlighted the top reason on Housel’s list: “U.S. life expectancy at birth was 39 years in 1800, 49 years in 1900, 68 years in 1950, and 79 years today.”
Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.
- December 4, 2018 – 62 percent of voters nationwide believe that legal immigration is good for U.S. but illegal immigration is bad
- December 3, 2018 – 8 days of Hanukkah began last night
- November 30, 2018 – 3 years, 108 days to read all federal regulations
- November 29, 2018 – 123 third-party candidates received more votes than the margin separating the top two finishers
- November 28, 2018 – 50 reasons we’re living through the greatest period in world history
- To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.
Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.
The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.
Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.
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