At one time such excluded or impotent minorities tended to be religious.

Racial and ethnic minorities tend to engage in more high-risk sexual practices than whites.

The minority of older workers who do develop long-term sickness tend to opt to leave the labour market altogether.

Ethnic minorities tend to be concentrated in certain industries, and in the less-skilled occupations with lower pay.

"Essentially, there is an old boys' network, and that women and minorities tend to go into jobs that pay less," she said.

Part of the explanation, the study said, may lie in the fact that minorities tend to see doctors whose practices focus on low-income populations.

Since minorities tend to live in areas that are strongly Democratic, increasing their numbers could help Democrats when district lines are drawn.

While it is true that minorities tend to be poorer than whites, whites nonetheless make up the majority of the poor.

But not everyone agrees that minorities tend toward less-advanced use of the Internet.

My perception is that minorities tend to say much more often that they are opposed to the death penalty.