Demography

Question 1

Define ‘demography’.

Answer 1

The study of a population change.

Question 2

Define ‘death rates’.

Answer 2

The ratio of deaths of the population in a particular area.

Question 3

Define ‘infant mortality rates’.

Answer 3

Number of deaths of infants under the age of one per 1,000 live births.

Question 4

Give 6 reasons for the reason for falling death rates and falling infant mortality rates.

Answer 4

1) Improved hygiene and sanitation
2) Advances in medicine and science
3) Higher living standards
4) Public health and welfare
5) Health education
6) Improved working conditions

Question 5

Briefly explain why ‘improved hygiene and sanitation’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 5

• Killer diseases (e.g. cholera) have been eradicated due to more awareness of sanitation
• We have a better understanding of hygiene
• Since the 19th century the sewage system is underground and so there is decreased exposure to unhygienic environments

Question 6

Briefly explain why ‘advances in medicine and science’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 6

• Vaccinations (e.g. tetanus jab)
• Development of antibiotics (e.g. penicillin)
• Contemporary major causes of death are now heart disease and cancer rather than bacterial infections

Question 7

Briefly explain why ‘higher living standards’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 7

• Overall we have higher wages and so more disposable income
• Better, cheaper food that is mass produced and fruit and veg are cheaper
• Housing conditions are generally better and so don’t have damp
• Better storage techniques for preserving food so less chance of them going off and best before dates are a legal necessity for packaging

Question 8

Briefly explain why ‘public health and welfare’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 8

• NHS introduced (1948) allowed for free healthcare
• Welfare State introduced (1945) allowed for benefits
• Postnatal and care before birth improved with methods such as scanning
• Increase in health visitors to check on health of baby

Question 9

Briefly explain why ‘health education’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 9

• Promotion of the 5-a-day rule to help keep children healthy
• Banning of smoking in public places (2007)
• Raising more awareness in schools by underlining unhealthy food and what it can do to your body

Question 10

Briefly explain why ‘improved working conditions’ has resulted in the decrease in death rates and infant mortality rates.

Answer 10

• Technology has taken over factory machines means less risk of injuries due factory machines
• Health and safety regulations
• Shorter working hours means people are less over worked and so less likely to cause health problems due to stress
• Middle class people live longer due to not being as overworked and so dying from illnesses caused by stress

Question 11

Using 2 reasons, explain why women may have a longer life expectancy to men.

Answer 11

• Due to the culture of masculinity men feel as though they are too ‘manly’ to see a doctor when ill, this means that they are more likely to die from untreated illnesses or ones that have developed too far for there to be anything done
• Pregnant women attend hospital for regular check-ups and so illness are more likely to be detected and treated

Question 12

Explain the reason for north/south divide in terms of life expectancy.

Answer 12

• The north is poorer than the south and so the people in the south of the UK have disposable income
• They can therefore afford more luxuries in life with less stress due to a healthier working condition
• There are also more unserviced roads in the north and so road accidents are more likely to occur

Question 13

Describe 5 problems of an ageing population.

Answer 13

1) NHS lack in resources due to elderly people needing more care
2) Housing troubles due to elderly people continuing to live in family homes - reducing their availability
3) Not enough money to cover increasing pension demands (pension crisis)
4) Retirement age is increasing so people have to work longer
5) Growing isolation and loneliness

Question 14

Suggest 5 solutions for the issues an ageing population can cause.

Answer 14

1) Increase availability of nursing homes to reduce the lack of family homes
2) Lower the fees for nursing homes
3) Reduce benefits so it also reduces dependency rate
4) Encourage higher labour force participation as it lacks in later ages so they don’t become an economic liability
5) Start saving younger for a pension

Question 15

Give 3 reasons for a post-war baby boom.

Answer 15

1) Many people died and so it’s a way of replenishing the population
2) Women were sexually deprived due to their husbands going off to war
3) Soldiers wanted to settle down into a family life

Question 16

Give 2 reasons for a more contemporary baby boom.

Answer 16

1) Increase in migration from Eastern Europe include many Catholics who don’t use contraception
2) More women over 40 are having children

Question 17

What did Sue Sharpe find when interviewing women in the 1970s compared to women in the 1990s?

Answer 17

1970s = When asked what their main priorities were they said their family
1990s= When asked what their main priorities were they said they were more career driven

Question 18

How does the age of women, regarding fertility, correlate to the falling birth rates (include a statistic)?

Answer 18

Younger people are more fertile and so women having children later on in life have a lower chance of success in conceiving. About 1 in 5 women are childless at 45 years old.

Question 19

Think of another reason for the decline in birth rate regarding social changes to society.

Answer 19

In recent years abortion has become more acceptable and is legal in certain countries so any unwanted pregnancies can be terminated.

Question 20

Give a reason for the increase in birth rate in relation to net migration statistics.

Answer 20

There are bigger families in the Middle East and so it would increase the birth rates when they immigrate to the UK.

Question 21

Give 4 pros of immigration.

Answer 21

1) Immigrants can carry out jobs that Britons won’t consider
2) Immigrants accept lower wages which profits companies
3) Foreign students pay more for universities which helps the economy and reduces inflation
4) Immigrants may have skills (mainly manual labour) that people in the UK may lack

Question 22

Give 4 cons of immigration.

Answer 22

1) Schools can get overcrowded and full, meaning less attention is paid to each individual student
2) Can cause rivalry for jobs
3) Increased youth unemployment because immigrants can fill out the spots with their higher experience
4) Stretched for resources