majority = ?

[Laurence Horn]

At 7:57 PM -0500 2/8/02, Steve Boatti wrote:
>In a message dated 2/8/02 6:35:04 PM, einstein at FROGNET.NET writes:
>
><< From the Washington Post: "Sixty percent of the Saudi population is now
>
>under 18 years old, and the overwhelming majority is under 40"--am I missing
>
>something or has "overwhelming majority" made a shift in meaning?  I'm over
>
>the helm on this one!
>
>___________________
>
>David Bergdahl
>
>  >>
>
>Maybe I'm missing something. 60% is under 18, and it seems that something
>between 60% and 100% is under 40. I would say that a majority of between 60%
>and 100% is "an overwhelming majority."
>
>Steve Boatti

I don't see the problem either.  Anything over 50% is a majority, and
presumably given the figures above the under-40 population would be
close to 80% (at a guess), which would indeed be an overwhelming
majority.  No?

Larry