Final answer:
The statement regarding the top 1 percent of households in the United States doubling their income share since the early 1980s is true, supported by data showing increased income shares for the top quintiles and evidence of rising income inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The percentage of income earned by the top 1 percent of households in the United States has indeed more than doubled since the early 1980s. This statement is true. The evidence for this significant growth in income disparity can be seen from various statistical data.
Specifically, from 1980 to 2013, the share of income going to the top fifth quintile increased by about 8 percentage points, indicative of the wealth accumulation at the higher end of the income distribution. The last column of certain statistical tables, such as Table 15.5 from referenced materials, reveals an increase in the income share of the top 5%, which serves as further evidence of this trend. For instance, between 1980 and 2020, the income received by the top 5% increased from 16.5% to 23.0%.
It is also noteworthy that the wealthiest Americans, particularly the top 10%, took in more than half of the country's overall income in 2012, the highest proportion recorded in over a century. This empirical data aligns with the assertion that the United States might be experiencing a second gilded age, characterized by a stark contrast between the wealth accumulation of the richest families compared to the lower and middle-income segments of the population.