By the numbers

The demographics of Occupy Wall Street: By the numbers

Who are these protesters camped out in New York City's Zuccotti Park and what do they believe in? Two new surveys offer some insights

The Occupiers of Wall Street have been portrayed as everything from hippies to "hot chicks," from everyday people with friendly dogs to violent anarchists. Now, two surveys offer some actual data about the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators and their sympathizers. Here, a brief guide, by the numbers, to the movement's demographics:

64
Percent of those in the Occupy Wall Street movement who are under the age of 35, according to a survey of 1,619 people that visited OccupyWallSt.org. The survey was conducted by Baruch College professor Hector R. Cordero-Guzman and business analyst Harrison Schultz.

20
Percent over the age of 45, according to the same survey

26.7
Percent who are enrolled in school

More than $75,000
Annual salary that 13 percent of the survey-takers take home, according to Cordero-Guzman and Schultz. "'Tax the rich!' could hit close to home," says Sean Captain at Fast Company.

More than $150,000
Annual salary reported by nearly 2 percent of the survey-takers

$343,927
Adjusted gross income needed to be in the "extolled and excoriated 1 percent of richest Americans"

Slightly less than $50,000
Median income for American families

15
Percent of the demonstrators who are unemployed, according to a different survey, this one conducted by veteran pollster Douglas Schoen via in-person interviews with 198 people at Manhattan's Zuccotti Park

18
Percent of demonstrators who call themselves "part-time employed/underemployed." That's "a combined total of 33 percent who are struggling in the labor market," says Aaron Rutkoff in The Wall Street Journal.

9.1
National rate of unemployment, in percent

53
Percent of demonstrators who say they have previously participated in a political movement, according to Schoen's survey

98
Percent who say they would support civil disobedience to achieve their aims

31
Percent who say they would support violence

8
Percent who say they are unsure of what they would like to see the movement accomplish

44
Percent who say they want to "influence the Democratic Party the way the Tea Party has influenced the GOP" (35 percent) or "energize and mobilize progressives" (9 percent)

32
Percent who consider themselves Democrats; nearly the same amount (33 percent) say they don't affiliate themselves with any political party. "What binds a large majority of the protesters together — regardless of age, socioeconomic status or education — is a deep commitment to left-wing policies: Opposition to free-market capitalism and support for radical redistribution of wealth, intense regulation of the private sector, and protectionist policies to keep American jobs from going overseas," says Douglas Schoen in The Wall Street Journal.

56
Percent of demonstrators who say they voted in 2008

74
Percent of those who voted that say they cast a ballot for Obama in 2008

51
Percent of demonstrators who now say they now disapprove of Obama

At least 25
Percent
who says they will not vote in 2012

Sources: Fast Company, Kiplinger, Wall Street Journal (2)

Recommended

The scandal roiling the Texas GOP
Ken Paxton in Washington
Behind the scenes

The scandal roiling the Texas GOP

Winners and losers of the debt ceiling deal
The U.S. Capitol building
Talking point

Winners and losers of the debt ceiling deal

Utah Republican reportedly resigning from U.S. House
Rep. Chris Stewart
Shrinking Majority

Utah Republican reportedly resigning from U.S. House

McCarthy's last-minute debt ceiling drama
Kevin McCarthy speaks with a crowd of reporters
Behind the scenes

McCarthy's last-minute debt ceiling drama

Most Popular

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Entranceway to Walt Disney World.
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

Thousands flock to Missouri to see body of nun who died in 2019
People wait in line to see the exhumed body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster.
drawing a crowd

Thousands flock to Missouri to see body of nun who died in 2019

Air New Zealand to weigh international passengers as part of safety survey
An Air New Zealand plane takes off from Sydney, Australia.
Step on the Scale

Air New Zealand to weigh international passengers as part of safety survey