Oh sure # Comprehensive Statistical Profile: America 1967-1973
The period 1968-1971 represents the most concentrated inflection point in modern American social history. Across virtually every measurable domain—family structure, institutional trust, media content, religious practice, crime, and economic policy—the data reveal a society undergoing rapid transformation. Trust in government collapsed 41 percentage points from 1964’s peak of 77% to just 36% by 1974. The divorce rate increased 65% in six years (1967-1973). Violent crime doubled between 1960-1970. Church attendance among Catholics fell from 74% to 55%. On November 1, 1968, the Hays Production Code was replaced by the MPAA ratings system, ending 34 years of explicit content regulation. These statistics collectively document what might be called the “Great Unbinding”—a systematic loosening of social, moral, institutional, and economic constraints that had defined mid-century American consensus.
Family structure underwent dramatic transformation
The foundational institution of marriage began fracturing in measurable ways during 1967-1973. While marriage rates remained relatively high at 10.6 per 1,000 (1970), divorce rates accelerated dramatically:
| Year | Marriage Rate | Divorce Rate | Change from 1967 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 9.7 | 2.6 | Baseline |
| 1968 | 10.4 | 2.9 | +11.5% |
| 1969 | 10.6 | 3.2 | +23.1% |
| 1970 | 10.6 | 3.5 | +34.6% |
| 1971 | 10.6 | 3.7 | +42.3% |
| 1972 | 10.9 | 4.0 | +53.8% |
| 1973 | 10.8 | 4.3 | +65.4% |
| 2012 | 6.8 | 3.4 | — |
Fertility collapsed from a Total Fertility Rate of 2.56 (1967) to 1.88 (1973)—a 27% decline in just six years, dropping below replacement level for the first time. The contraceptive revolution drove this change: oral contraceptive users increased from 5 million (1965) to approximately 12 million (1973), with 40% of young married women on the pill by 1965.
Female labor force participation rose steadily from 41.1% (1967) to 44.7% (1973), beginning the long march toward today’s 57.7% (2012). Out-of-wedlock births increased from 8.8% (1967) to 13.0% (1973)—by 2012, this figure reached 40.7%. Single-parent households housed approximately 11-12% of children in 1970; by 2012, this exceeded 28%.
The median age at first marriage held relatively steady at 23.2 (men) and 20.8 (women) in 1970, but by 2012 had risen to 28.6 and 26.6 respectively—reflecting the delay of family formation that began in this period. Average household size declined from 3.33 persons (1960) to 3.14 (1970) to 2.55 (2012).
Sources: NCHS Vital Statistics; Census Bureau Historical Tables; BLS Current Population Survey; Guttmacher Institute
Institutional trust collapsed after 1964
The American National Election Studies documented the most dramatic decline in institutional confidence in modern history. The question “How much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right?” revealed a devastating trajectory:
| Year | Trust “Always/Most of Time” | Key Events |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 77% (all-time peak) | Pre-escalation |
| 1966 | 65% | Vietnam escalation |
| 1968 | 62% | Tet, MLK/RFK assassinations |
| 1970 | 54% | Cambodia, Kent State |
| 1972 | 53% | Pentagon Papers aftermath |
| 1974 | 36% | Watergate evidence |
| 2012 | 22% | Never recovered |
This 41-point collapse from 1964 to 1974 represents the steepest sustained decline in institutional trust ever recorded in American polling history.
Presidential approval tracked this erosion. LBJ’s approval on Vietnam handling fell to just 26% by February 1968. Nixon’s trajectory proved even more dramatic: from a 70% peak (February 1973) to 24% at resignation—a 46-point collapse in 18 months. The Harris Poll Alienation Index showed Americans identifying as “alienated” rising from 29% (1966) to 55% (1973), never dropping below 50% thereafter.
Trust in media paradoxically peaked during this era at 68-72% (1972-1976), likely boosted by Watergate investigative journalism—but this represented the high-water mark before steady decline to 40% (2012) and 28% (2025). Confidence in organized religion remained highest among institutions at 66% (1973), but would decline following televangelist scandals and clergy abuse revelations.
| Institution | 1973 | 2012 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Church/Religion | 66% | 44% | -22 |
| Military | ~57% | 75% | +18 |
| Congress | 42% | 13% | -29 |
| Media | 68% | 40% | -28 |
| Public Schools | 58% | 29% | -29 |
Sources: ANES Trust Series 1958-present; Gallup Confidence in Institutions; Pew Research Center; Harris Poll
Economic constraints loosened dramatically
The Nixon administration systematically removed monetary and fiscal constraints that had governed the post-war economy. The Federal Reserve balance sheet grew from approximately $55 billion (1967) to $95 billion (1973)—modest compared to the explosion to $2.92 trillion by 2012.
Money supply expansion accelerated: M2 grew from $459 billion (1967) to $764 billion (1973)—a 66% increase in six years. The M2 growth rate hit 11.4% in 1972 alone.
The critical inflection came August 15, 1971—the “Nixon Shock”—when dollar-gold convertibility was suspended, ending the Bretton Woods system. Gold, fixed at $35/oz since 1934, rose to $97 by year-end 1973 and reached $1,670 by 2012.
| Year | Fed Funds Rate | CPI Inflation | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 4.22% | 2.8% | 3.8% |
| 1968 | 5.66% | 4.3% | 3.6% |
| 1969 | 8.21% | 5.5% | 3.5% |
| 1970 | 7.17% | 5.8% | 4.9% |
| 1971 | 4.67% | 4.3% | 5.9% |
| 1972 | 4.44% | 3.3% | 5.6% |
| 1973 | 8.74% | 6.2% | 4.9% |
| 2012 | 0.14% | 2.1% | 8.1% |
National debt rose from $326 billion (1967) to $458 billion (1973)—a 40% increase—but debt-to-GDP actually improved from ~40% to ~35% due to nominal GDP growth. By 2012, debt reached $16.4 trillion (~100% of GDP).
The productivity-wage divergence began in this period. From 1948-1973, productivity and median compensation grew together (+96.7% and +91.3% respectively). After 1973, they decoupled: productivity grew another 72.2% through 2014 while median compensation rose only 8.7%—a fundamental restructuring of the labor-capital relationship.
Sources: FRED Economic Data; BLS; BEA; Treasury Department; Economic Policy Institute
Media content regulation ended November 1, 1968
The Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code), which had governed film content since 1934, was officially replaced by the MPAA ratings system on November 1, 1968. This ended 34 years of explicit prohibition on:
- Complete nudity (including silhouette)
- “Lustful kissing” and scenes of passion
- Profanity including “God,” “Lord,” “Jesus,” “hell,” “damn”
- Drug use depictions
- “Sexual perversion” (homosexuality)
- Miscegenation
- Crime portrayed positively
The immediate impact was measurable. Midnight Cowboy (1969), rated X, won Best Picture—the only X-rated film to receive the award. Content that would have been impossible under the Code became standard: Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and The Wild Bunch (1969) introduced graphic violence; Blowup (1966) featured nudity; the “New Hollywood” era began.
Television saturation reached near-universality: 87% of households owned TVs by 1960, 95% by 1970, with color TV crossing 50% penetration by decade’s end. Average viewing reached 6+ hours daily by the late 1960s. The three-network oligopoly (ABC, CBS, NBC) controlled virtually all broadcast content.
Trust in media peaked during this transition at 68-72% (1972-1976), the highest ever recorded—driven largely by investigative journalism’s role in exposing Vietnam deception and Watergate. The Pentagon Papers (June 1971) and Watergate coverage represented media’s zenith of public credibility.
| Metric | 1968-1970 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| TV household penetration | 94-96% | 96.7% |
| Daily newspapers | 1,748 | ~1,382 |
| Trust in media | 68-72% | 40% |
| Hours TV viewing/day | 6+ | 4-5 |
Sources: MPAA Records; Nielsen Data; U.S. Census Bureau; Gallup Media Trust Polls
Education expanded while standards declined
College enrollment doubled from approximately 6.9 million (1967) to 9.6 million (1973), driven by baby boomers reaching college age and Vietnam draft deferments. Women’s share of enrollment rose from 41% to 44% during this period, eventually reaching 57% by 2012.
SAT scores began their famous decline during 1967-1973:
| School Year | Verbal (Original Scale) | Math | Combined Drop from Peak |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-67 | 466 | 492 | Baseline |
| 1968-69 | 463 | 493 | -3 |
| 1970-71 | 455 | 488 | -15 |
| 1972-73 | 445 | 481 | -32 |
| Low Point (1980) | ~424 | ~466 | -68 |
The College Board attributed 25-40% of the decline to expanded test-taking population demographics, but the remainder was “unexplained”—suggesting genuine educational quality decline.
Tuition remained remarkably affordable: public university tuition averaged $351 (1970-71), covering approximately 2.4x median family income for total costs. By 2012, public tuition reached $8,655—representing a 2,580% inflation-adjusted increase. The Pell Grant (created 1972) covered 79% of public university costs initially; by 2012, coverage had fallen to 31%.
School desegregation achieved dramatic progress: Black students in 90-100% minority schools in the South fell from 77.8% (1968) to 24.7% (1972). Integration peaked in 1988 at 43.5% of Black students in majority-white schools, then reversed through re-segregation.
The true high school graduation rate peaked at approximately 78% in the early 1970s, declined through 2000, and recovered to 81% by 2012. Student protests peaked with the May 1970 strike—883+ campuses, 4 million students—following Cambodia invasion and Kent State.
Sources: NCES Digest of Education Statistics; College Board; UCLA Civil Rights Project; NBER
Religious practice began its long decline
Church attendance, stable at approximately 49% (weekly) through the mid-1950s, began declining in the mid-1960s—especially among Catholics:
| Year | Overall | Catholics | Protestants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955 | 49% (peak) | 74% | 42% |
| 1965-66 | ~47% | 65-70% | ~42% |
| 1969 | ~43% | 63% | 37% |
| 1975 | ~40% | 35% (ages 21-29) | ~42% |
| 2012 | ~39% | 45% | 45% |
Mainline Protestant denominations peaked in membership around 1965-1967 and began sustained decline:
| Denomination | 1965-67 Peak | 2012-13 | Decline |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Methodist | 11,027,000 | 7,392,000 | -33% |
| Presbyterian (USA) | 3,304,000 | 1,760,000 | -47% |
| Episcopal | 3,647,000 | 1,867,000 | -49% |
| United Church of Christ | 2,070,000 | 999,000 | -52% |
Meanwhile, evangelical/conservative denominations grew: Assemblies of God expanded from 572,000 (1965) to 3,031,000 (2012)—a 430% increase. Southern Baptists grew from approximately 11 million to 16 million.
Religious “nones” increased from 5% (1972) to 18-20% (2012), with acceleration beginning around 1990. Belief in God declined modestly from 98% (1960s peak) to 87% (2012-2017).
Sexual morality attitudes shifted dramatically:
| Question | 1972-73 | 2012 |
|---|---|---|
| Premarital sex “not wrong at all” | 29% | 58% |
| Homosexual relations “always wrong” | 70% | 44% |
| Extramarital sex “always wrong” | 70% | 80%+ |
Notably, abortion opinion remained remarkably stable: support for legal abortion under “traumatic” circumstances (health, rape, defects) held at 75-87% from 1972 to 2012; support for “elective” reasons remained at 40-50% throughout.
Sources: Gallup Religion Polls; General Social Survey; Association of Religion Data Archives; Denominational Yearbooks
Crime surged while incarceration hit historic lows
The 1967-1973 period witnessed one of the most dramatic crime waves in American history:
| Year | Violent Crime Rate | Murder Rate | Property Crime Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 253.2 | 6.2 | 2,736.5 |
| 1968 | 298.4 | 6.9 | 3,071.8 |
| 1969 | 328.7 | 7.3 | 3,351.3 |
| 1970 | 363.5 | 7.9 | 3,621.0 |
| 1971 | 396.0 | 8.6 | 3,768.8 |
| 1972 | 401.0 | 9.0 | 3,560.4 |
| 1973 | 417.4 | 9.4 | 3,737.0 |
| 2012 | 387.8 | 4.7 | 2,859.2 |
Violent crime increased 65% between 1967 and 1973; property crime rose 37%. The murder rate increased 52% from 6.2 to 9.4 per 100,000, peaking at 10.2 in 1980.
Paradoxically, incarceration hit its lowest point in 40 years: the 1968 incarceration rate of 94 per 100,000 was the lowest since the late 1920s. Total sentenced prisoners numbered approximately 196,000 (1970). By 2012, this figure exceeded 1.57 million—a rate of 710 per 100,000.
Social movements achieved unprecedented mobilization:
- Earth Day 1970: 20 million participants (10% of U.S. population)
- May 1970 Student Strike: 883+ campuses, 4 million students
- April 1971 Anti-War March: 175,000-250,000 at Capitol
- 1970 Work Stoppages: 5,716 strikes involving approximately 3 million workers
Drug use expanded rapidly: marijuana usage among adults rose from 4% (1969) to 12% (1973) to 24% (1977). Nixon declared the “War on Drugs” on June 17, 1971, calling drug abuse “public enemy number one.” The DEA was established in 1973.
Sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reports; Bureau of Justice Statistics; BLS Work Stoppages; Gallup Drug Polls
Synthesis: The 1968-1971 inflection point
The statistical record reveals that 1968-1971 represents the concentrated inflection point when mid-century American consensus began fracturing across virtually every measurable domain simultaneously:
Constraint Removal:
- November 1, 1968: Hays Code replaced by MPAA ratings
- August 15, 1971: Dollar-gold convertibility ended
- 1962-1963: School prayer banned (impact visible by late 1960s)
- 1960-1973: Contraceptive access universalized
- 1967-1973: Divorce liberalization accelerated
Measurable Consequences:
- Trust in government: -15 points (1964-1968), -41 points (1964-1974)
- Divorce rate: +65% (1967-1973)
- Fertility rate: -27% (1967-1973)
- Violent crime: +65% (1967-1973)
- SAT verbal scores: -21 points (1967-1973)
- Church attendance: -6 to -10 points (1965-1975)
- Mainline Protestant membership: Peak reached, decline begins
- Incarceration: Historic low (94/100,000 in 1968)
- M2 money supply: +66% (1967-1973)
The 2012 comparison data reveals that most of these trends continued or accelerated: divorce rates eventually moderated but marriage rates collapsed; fertility remained below replacement; religious “nones” expanded from 5% to 20%; incarceration exploded to 710/100,000; institutional trust never recovered; productivity-wage divergence widened to 63 percentage points.
This statistical profile provides the empirical foundation for analyzing how the systematic removal of institutional, moral, economic, and cultural constraints during 1967-1973 produced measurable bifurcation in American society—a transformation still unfolding in the 2012 comparison data and beyond.
Source Summary
Government Primary Data:
- Census Bureau: Marriage/divorce statistics, household data, income tables
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Labor force participation, unemployment, CPI, work stoppages
- National Center for Health Statistics: Vital statistics, fertility, mortality
- National Center for Education Statistics: Enrollment, tuition, SAT scores, graduation rates
- FBI Uniform Crime Reports: Crime statistics 1967-2012
- Bureau of Justice Statistics: Incarceration data
- Federal Reserve (FRED): Money supply, interest rates, debt, financial data
- Bureau of Economic Analysis: GDP data
Polling/Survey Data:
- American National Election Studies (ANES): Trust in government series (1958-present)
- Gallup: Presidential approval, institutional confidence, religion, media trust
- General Social Survey (NORC): Moral attitudes (1972-present)
- Harris Poll: Alienation index (1966-present)
- Pew Research Center: Religious landscape, institutional trust compilations
Academic/Specialized:
- College Board: SAT historical data
- MPAA: Ratings system documentation
- Association of Religion Data Archives: Denominational statistics
- UCLA Civil Rights Project: Desegregation data
- Economic Policy Institute: Productivity-wage analysis
- Guttmacher Institute: Reproductive health statistics