population Flashcards
discuss possible consequences of an aging population
-increase in elderly leads to increased cost of pensions to govt & increased tax contributions for the economically active population
-in-migration will need to be encouraged, may lead to tension between dif ethnic groups/cultures
-retirement age may need to be increased, and more services for the elderly may need to be provided, such as care homes
-may be an increase in robots doing the job of humans
-falling birth rate lead to a decline in demand for services for children, such as schools
-more of a demand for adult children to care for elderly parents
-citizens may be encouraged to invest in private health care
discuss different methods used by countries to collect population data
-in the uk, a census is carried out every 10 years
-each house holder is asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about the number of people living in their homes, their jobs, religion, age e.c.t
-house holders answer questions on their social/economic and cultural background
-householders are fined for not completing the questionnaire
-civil registrations of births/deaths provided an up to date count between censuses
-govts also collect data on migration, for e.g. visa applications.
and NHS records provide health data
-in china, the surveys are carried out every year, an 1% are asked to complete it, due to the size of the country
explain problems of collecting accurate population data in developing countries
-many ppl may be living in developing countries may be living in informal housing, so have no official address
-ethnic tensions and international political rivalries may lead to innacuracies, e.g. north nigeria was reported to have inflated its population figures to secure increased political representation
-conflicts can make it too dangerous for enumerators to enter, a risk to their life, data that may of been gathered can change quickly due to deaths in conflict
-lower literacy rate, cant read or write to complete the forms, or unintentionally make mistakes, leading to inaccuracy, e.g sierra leone, literally rate is below 50%
-rapid rural to urban migration
-illegal immigrants, fear of deportation
consequences of a young population
-challenging to provide quality education for the growing number of young people, resulting in a less skilled workforce or lower literacy rates
-pressure for farmers to grow enough food, so land is farmed more intensely reducing soil quality
-the country may increase the use of fertilisers and pesticides to increase crop yield and increase food production
-the country may need to reduce the number of births by investing in education and provision of contraception, e.g family planning clinics. may also offer incentives to limit family size such as free health care or housing
-youthful population will soon move into the active working population and require jobs, however there won’t be enough jobs for everyone, so unemployment is high, therefore crime rates are high
-insufficient housing for everyone, so people build makeshift shaks which lack basics like clean water and toilets, leading to spread of disease
-money for medical care will need to be spent on services for children, people who cater for the elderly will lose their jobs
problems of collecting accurate population data in developed countries
-census taking is expensive, for e.g. in 2021, the uks census cost around £900 million
-illegal immigrants in places like the usa may not want to be counted
-homeless people, don’t have a house so can’t be sent a census as a house holder
-people don’t trust the government, thinks it’s an invasion of privacy
-people lie to the govt to claim benefits
explain push and pull factors for voluntary migration (mexico to u.s.a)
-mexico has very high crime rates, in 2017 almost 30,000 homocides recorded
-not enough jobs, very few opportunities
-high population living in rural areas with extreme temps and poor quality land, difficult to farm
-mexico’s a very arid area, duffers from water shortages
-almost 10% of the population lack access to improved drinking water
-low paying jobs=low standard of living=poor quality housing
-existing migrant communities in texas and California (for example) help pull family to migrate
-better academic opportunities in usa
-improved education allows them to gain higher paying jobs
impacts on donor country (mexico)
-fewer people=less pressure on limited resources, like good quality housing and healthcare, allowing living standards to improve, will also help reduce unemployment rates
-migrants return with new skills
-birth rates lowered as usually males migrate more, so decline in birth rate/population=less people in need of limited resources
-migrants often send money back home to their families meaning ppl in mexico have more money, improving the standard of living
-most educated and healthy leave, which could hinder development
impacts on receiving country (usa)
-govt received tax from migrant workers who are doing jobs that us residents may not want to do due to low wages and unsociable hours, like farm work and cleaning
-language barrier and cultural differences can lead to ethnic tensions
-may lead to rent prices rising, or multi occupancy accommodation due to pressures on housing in certain areas
-education system may become strained with the larger numbers, hard for teachers dealing with kids who don’t speak english
-number of immigrants coming into usa can lead to increased unemployment rates, also lead to tension with mexicans viewed as @
“job stealers”
push and pull factors for forced migration (syria)
-2006- 2011, over half of syria suffered from the worst drought in record, nearly 85% of livestock died and crops didn’t grow, farmers lost allot of money so moved to overcrowded cities
-unemployment due to the civil war
-violence on citizens, dangerous place, bombings, shootings
-muslim and christian groups persecuted over religion
-poor living conditions, most cities left bombed and empty
PULL
-opportunity to be safe from conflict
-freedom of religion
-availability of public services, education nd health care
-reliable source of food and water
impacts of forced migration on syria
-fewer people to grow and tend to crops, resulting in food shortages
-not enough people to provide basic services such as healthcare and education
-not enough people to work in law enforcement or military, weakens the country
-lack of funding and workers to care for infrastructure, roads deteriorating
-lack of basic services, sufficient food, clean water
impacts of forced migration on receiving countries (jordan, turkey)
-refugees need to be provided with clothes, food and shelter, financial burden on the govt
-violdnce and conflict between residents and refugees over land use and resources
-tensions between the native community, and its government as resources are strained
