No wonder old GOPers are so spooked

Click to enlarge. Just do it and come back for an explanation.

This chart displays several sets of information in parallel in a form which makes new meaning. I found the density here fascinating. Let's unpack it a bit.

The underlying data points are the relative percentages of U.S. adherents to six religious postures which are defined so as to include a racial component within those identifications. That is, we are characterized in percentages of white evangelicals, white mainline protestants, white Catholics, Christians of color, other religions (no implied race, probably mostly Jews, Muslims and perhaps Hindus?), religiously unaffiliated (no implied race), and other Christians (no implied race, perhaps Orthodox?). This is not exactly how we usually think of these divisions -- but the groups are not unrecognizable.

It would be possible, and perhaps conventional, to display the result in two separate charts.

One chart would compare the distribution of religious groups by age: 18-29, 30-49, 50-64, 65+.  Some numbers crunchers might quibble with the divisions, but this seems commonplace.

A second chart would compare these divisions by political party identification: Democrats and Republicans. Again commonplace.

But the creators of this chart (PRRI American Values Atlas) have combined the two charts in a visual form which suggests far more -- and had the decency to spell out what they are getting at in the accompanying caption:

... the Democratic Party looks like 20 year old America, while the Republican Party looks like 80 year old America.

No wonder old GOPers are so spooked. It's a new world they are living in.