An overview and longitudinal analysis of the demographics of the AMS

The 2005 membership survey is the fifth in a series of surveys that has monitored the composition of the AMS since 1975. The responses of the 2005 survey reveal several interesting changes in the educational level, employment characteristics, and personal status of Society members. The proportion of members with Ph.D. degrees has increased with time to 46% of the regular (nonstudent) and retired members in 2005. Universities/colleges, the federal government, and radio/TV remain the three most important employers of AMS members, although their relative importance has changed with time, with universities/colleges now employing more members than the federal government. Most AMS members continue to report that they became interested in the atmospheric sciences in either elementary school or as undergraduates, although the importance of early (K-6) experiences has increased with time. The age distribution of AMS members in 2005 suggests that the gradual aging of the AMS membership reported earlier (based on the responses to the 1993 and 1999 surveys) is no longer evident. The 2005 survey results also suggest that the percentage of women in the AMS, although still small, has nearly doubled since 1999. However, there has not been comparable progress in increasing the ethnic diversity of the AMS membership. This paper is the first of a series, each focusing on a particular aspect of the survey results.