A-level sociology family: demographic trends in the UK since 1900

demography, birth rates, death rates, migration and emigration

what is demography?

refers to the study of the population and how this changes over time. this involves the analysis of crime rates, mortality rates, fertility rates, birth rates, marriage rates, divorce rates and religiosity

what is the birth rate?

birth rate is the number of individuals born in a population in a given amount of time.

how is birth rate changing?

the total fertility rate is declining and less people are giving birth

why is birth rate declining?

people are choosing to have fewer children due to lifestyle choices and factors like the cost of raising a child

what is the impact of the decline in the birth rate?

the proportion of older adults in the population increases leading to fewer working age individuals in healthcare, social services and pensions

what factors determine the birth rate?

income, attitudes towards raising children, age, population control

what is the TFR?

total fertility rate- the number of children that are born to women over their lifetime.

what is the death rate?

the number of deaths per 1000 of the population

what is the life expectancy in the UK?

81 years

what is the global life expectancy?

73 years

what was the global life expectancy in 1960?

46 years

what was the life expectancy in the UK in 1960?

75 years

what country has the lowest life expectancy?

Chad- 54 years

what country has the highest life expectancy?

Japan- 86 years

how has smoking and diet affected death rates?

the reduction in people smoking has contributed to the fall in death rates, however obesity replaced smoking as the new lifestyle epidemic. in 2012 1/4 of adults in the UK were obese. obesity deaths have been kept low as a result of drug therapies, though the UK have been said to be moving to an 'American' lifestyle of unhealthy eating.

how has improved nutrition affected death rates?

better nutrition increased resistance to infection and increased the survival chances of those who did become infected

how has medical improvements affected death rates?

before the 1950s, medical improvements played almost no part in the reduction of deaths from infectious diseases, however after the 1950s, improved medical knowledge, techniques and organisation helped reduce death rates- antibiotics, immunisations, improved maternity services and the NHS in 1948

how has public health measures affected death rates?

in the 20th century the government was able to pass and enforce laws that improved public health and the quality of the environment. this led to improvements in housing, purer water laws to combat the adulteration of food and drinks, pasteurisation of milk and improved sewage disposal.

the clean air act reduced air pollution such as smog which causes 4000 deaths within 5 days in 1952

what are other social changes which affected death rates?

• the decline of dangerous manual occupations such ads mining

• smaller families reduced the rate of infections spreading

• greater public knowledge of cause of illness

• lifestyle changes, especially the reduction in the number of men who smoke

• higher incomes, allowing better health

how has regional differences affected death rates?

this living in the poorest areas of England die on the average 7 years earlier than those in the richest areas

what are the 3 factors that the ageing population is caused by?

• increasing life expectancy: people living longer into old age

• declining infant mortality: nowadays hardly anyone dies early in life

• declining fertility: fewer young people are being born in reaction to the number of older people in the population

what is emigration?

the movement of individuals out of a population

what are the 2 main reasons economic reasons for emigration?

'push' factors and 'pull' factors

what are push factors?

factors that push people to move away from their home- such as economic recession and unemployment

what are pull factors?

factors that attract people to a new location- such as higher wages or better opportunities abroad

how do the reasons for emigration contrast with migration?

it contrasts with those who migrate due to religious religious, political or racial persecution