LANSING – Michigan’s legislators tend to be older and more predominately male and white than the state’s general population, a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures and the Pew Charitable Trusts said.

And legislators are far better educated than the general public, with at least 75 percent having a bachelor’s degree or higher compared to 28 percent of the overall population.

The study looks at the demographic makeup of all 50 legislatures. And while the study says nationwide legislatures are more representative of the general public than they were 40 years ago, they still do not reflect the total population’s statistics.

The project was designed to “take a snapshot of six demographic characteristics of America’s legislatures in 2015, compare these characteristics to the past and establish a baseline for future research,” said Karl Kurtz, a consultant for NCSL who oversaw the study.

Nationally, while there are six times as many women in legislatures as there were in 1971, women in 2015 account for just 25 percent of those elected to legislatures.

In Michigan’s Legislature, while women are 51 percent of the population, they are 21 percent of the members of the Legislature.

Michigan is closer to national averages when it comes to African-American lawmakers. In Michigan, 13.9 percent of the population is black and 9 percent of the lawmakers are black.

Nationally, 9 percent of all legislators are black, while 13 percent of the population is black.

In Michigan, a total of 84 percent of the Legislature is white while the statewide population is 78.9 percent white.

In terms of other ethnicities, 3 percent of the Legislature is Hispanic while 4.8 percent of the state is; 2 percent of the Legislature is Asian or Pacific Islander while 2.8 percent of the state is; 1 percent of the Legislature is multi-racial while 3.8 percent of the state is; and there are no American Indians in the Legislature while 0.6 percent of the state is.

In terms of age, nationally the average legislator is 56.

There was no breakdown on the average age in Michigan. However, the study showed that 46 percent of legislators were Baby Boomers, compared to 31 percent of the population in general, while 42 percent were Gen-Xers when 27 percent of the overall population is in that age range.

Three generations were dramatically under-represented in the Legislature: 28 percent of the population is millennials, but just 9 percent of the Legislature falls into the youngest group. And 11 percent of the population is considered in the silent generation, but just 3 percent of the legislative members are from that era. And while just 1 percent of the state’s population is from the Greatest Generation, there are no members of the Legislature from the generation that grew up during the Great Depression and fought in World War II.

Michigan lawmakers do not stack up with national averages in terms of how many have advanced degrees, though they far outstrip the general population in terms of those degrees. Nationally, according to the study, 40 percent of state legislators have graduate or professional degrees. In Michigan, 33 percent of the Legislature has graduate or professional degrees, while just 11 percent of the general population has higher degrees.

Another 42 percent of the Michigan lawmakers have a bachelor’s degree, while just 17 percent of the population does. And while 73 percent of the state’s population has less than a bachelor’s degree, just 3 percent of lawmakers do. The study also said that 22 percent of Michigan lawmakers did not specify their educational background.

In terms of religion, 25 percent of the legislators did not specify a particular faith. However, of those who did, Protestants were under represented compared to the full state population. While in the state Protestants represent 51 percent of Michiganders, they are 33 percent of lawmakers. However, 18 percent of the state is Roman Catholic and 20 percent of the Legislature is.

Among other Christians, 1 percent of the Legislature falls into that category while 2 percent of the state follows other denominations,

Non-Christians represent 1 percent of the Legislature while they are 5 percent of the state. And statewide, 25 percent of the populace said they have no religious affiliation. No one in the Legislature claimed no affiliation.

Finally, in terms of occupations, nationally there is an overall decline in lawyers and farmers in statehouses. In Michigan, just 5 percent of the members are in agriculture and 9 percent are lawyers. Business makes up the big bulk of lawmakers, with 23 percent being business owners, 18 percent involved in business in another capacity and 11 percent were consultants. Another 6 percent were educators, 4 percent were retired, 13 percent were in some other line, and 13 percent listed their occupation as legislator.

This story was published by Gongwer News Service. To subscribe click on www.gongwer.com