Race

As shown in Table 2 from “First Impressions,” the cumulative HIV/AIDS rate for African Americans in Somerset County is more than nine times that of the White population.  It is therefore reasonable to assume there is a strong correlation between the African American population and the AIDS rate.   By calculating the correlations between race and AIDS, one discovers that the strongest relationship is with the White population (Chart 1).  This strong negative correlation indicates that the county subdivisions with large White populations are associated with low AIDS rates.

  This result makes sense, for the AIDS rate of the White population in Somerset County is lower than those of both the African American and Hispanic populations; therefore, if the White population is highest, the percent of the African American and Hispanic population is less, resulting in a lower cumulative AIDS rate.  The positive correlation between AIDS rate and the African American population turns out to be less strong, yet still significant (Chart 2).   One can further analyze the relationship between race and AIDS rate by observing the graphs below.

On both graphs, the plot of Plainfield stands out from the others.  Of all the county subdivisions analyzed, Plainfield has the greatest African American population and, consequently, the greatest cumulative AIDS rate.  When looking at the median income of the townships, Plainfield proves to be a less affluent area, which may also correlate with the AIDS rate; to determine if this prediction is true, one must look into the possible relationship between AIDS and income.

INTRO   RACE    INCOME    EDUCATION    HOUSEHOLD

HOME