How well does Congress reflect the American public demographically? Is this a problem for representation? Be sure to consider multiple demographic characteristics in your response.

What will be an ideal response?

Students should first consider the descriptive portion of the question; members of Congress tend to come from the social and economic elite. They are richer, more well-educated, and have more prestigious backgrounds in terms of occupation compared to the “average” American. Congress is also whiter and more male than the U.S. population. Atheists are underrepresented in Congress. And, of course, states are unequally represented in the Senate. Good answers should address at least three of these demographic characteristics. Students should then take a position on whether these disparities between members and the general population are problematic for good representation. Good answers could make a variety of arguments but should state a clear position and use concepts from the text (i.e., descriptive vs. substantive representation) in defending this position.