1. Overview

In this assignment, I will create graphs to answer two questions: Is the allocation equitable based on the population of each of the States and Territories, or is bias apparent? Does the allocation favor the political interests of the Biden administration? Territories or Tribal Nations have been excluded from this research as they are unrelated to voting.

2. State Funding

The State Funding and Population graphs exhibit remarkable similarity across most states, although a few exceptions show significant disparities. Given these disparities, further investigation is required to understand the underlying factors driving these differences.

3. State Population

4. State Funding & Population Ratio

In summary, the statistics for the “ratio” column in this dataset are as follows:

Minimum (Min.): 302.4
1st Quartile (1st Qu.): 513.3
Median: 615.1
Mean: 913.6
3rd Quartile (3rd Qu.): 919.3
Maximum (Max.): 5043.7

5. State Funding & Population Ratio Above Average.

When looking at states with higher budgets per capita, it’s noticeable that there are twice as many states that voted for Trump as those that voted for Biden. Therefore, it becomes challenging to attribute budget allocations to political bias. It seems that the budget has been distributed fairly to the places where higher budgets per capita are needed.

For example, The states of Alaska, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota receive higher budget allocations per capita due to their rich natural resources, particularly in energy sectors like oil, natural gas, and coal. These resources require significant funding for extraction and production. Additionally, these states have active mining and agriculture industries that contribute to their economies. Their low population density also leads to higher per capita budget allocations, and their stable economic sectors receive budget allocations for continued growth.




6. Total Budget Allocation by State bottom 25%

Even when examining the graph related to the bottom 25%, it appears that the allocation for each state seems to be distributed fairly and not noticeably biased.




7. Conclusion

In summary, when looking at states with higher budgets per person, it’s clear that twice as many states voted for Trump compared to those who voted for Biden. This makes it challenging to attribute budget decisions to politics. Additionally, when examining the graph for the lower 25%, it appears that the money is distributed fairly among the states, without any noticeable bias. This suggests that political factors may not have a significant influence on the allocation process.

Reference:
https://www.cnn.com/election/2020/results/president
https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/us-states-by-population.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Native_Americans_in_the_United_States