Demography (population) – Flashcards

The study of human populations. Demographers look at birth, death and migration rates to explain population change.

The size of a population, the absolute number of people in a society, is sociologically the most important feature of a society because size affects the kinds of social structures which must be created to support and organize the population. The rate of growth in a population, the speed with which new people are added (or the population is declining), is important because this rate determines how much burden is being places on existing social structures and how much change in these structures will be necessary to accommodate new people (or how much extra infrastructure) is sitting around unused because of a declining population. The relationship between birth and death rates influence the size of population. The population rose when horticulture and then agriculture emerged on a wide scale. It should be clear that population growth. as a whole, is an increasing concern, particularly in certain countries and areas.

The first demographer was Thomas Malthus, who examined the differences between the rate of food production and population growth. His studies showed that population growth grows exponentially. According to Malthus, population growth would overwhelm food production if not checked by something. He pointed to natural checks on population growth (famine, disease, war). These forces have not provided enough of a check on population growth. In the past that was not even necessary because there was enough food produced in the world to feed the entire world population adequately. People still starve because of unequal distribution of valued resources. But climate change is affecting food production as well. The substitution of growing crops to provide bio-fuels as opposed to food humans eat is decreasing the available food and may not, according to some scientists, even reduce warming and pollution. Malthus was incorrect.

This theory postulates that a country's birth and death rates are linked to its level of industrial or economic development and that the so-called developing countries will eventually achieve birth and death rates like those of Western Europe and North America by following the same pattern as the industrialized countries there. Technology decreased death rates.In Stage 2, there was actually a population explosion, people were living longer but not reducing the number of babies born. Eventually birth rates declined as large families became a burden in a nonagricultural economy, as infants and childhood mortality declined, as technology introduced birth control. In Stage 3 we see low birth rates and low death rates and a pretty stable population growth rate. In Stage 4 both birth rates and death rates are low but also birth rates have fallen below replacement level - 2 babies born (and survive) to 2 adults. While death rates are low,there is an increase of lifestyle diseases caused by lack of exercise, poor nutrition and obesity.