By the Numbers: Where Do Lefties Go?

The percentage of left-handers is far lower among the elderly than among youngsters. Some researchers have argued that lefties fall prey to fatal accidents more often than right-handers, but most of them believe the pattern has a less sinister cause. In years past, left-handers were often pressured to become righties— forced to write or pitch a ball with their right hand, for instance. Such practices are now largely abandoned. With society growing more tolerant of southpaws, the percentage of people using their left hands, or admitting it, has steadily risen in younger age groups.