Population, Urbanization, the Environment-Week 5 Flashcards
What and how is demography used?
Sociologist use demographic variables to understand population and composition
understand culture
Market researchers look at demographics to discover what people want; music, fashion trends
Engineers look at demographics to understand what type of infrastructure a city needs
What are demographic variables ?
used to discuss populations. Demographic variables include:
population size
age
racial composition
birth rates
death rates
What fertility rate ? Crude Birth rate? Age-specific birth rate? total fertility rate ? Zero population growth?
Fertility rate is the number of births that occur in a population
Crude birth rate is number of births for every 1000 people each year
Age-specific birth rates is number of births for every 1000 women in a specific age-group (for example, ‘teen’ pregnancy or birth rates among women in their 40s
Total Fertility rate is average number of births expected from any woman in her lifetime
Zero population growth is a Total Fertility Rate of 2; every woman has 2 children to replace each of the procreators involved.
What is mortality? Crude death rate? Age-specific death rate? lifespan? life expectancy? rate of natural increase? birth dearth?
Crude death rate number of deaths for every 1,000 people each year
Age-specific death rate is the number of deaths for every 1,000 persons of a given age group
Lifespan is the maximum length of time a person can possibly live
Life expectancy is the average number of years a person is expected to live country specific; higher in wealthier nations linked to health care access and environmental factors
Rate of natural increase determines population growth and/or decline by subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate
Birth dearth is declining birth rates
Life Expectancy, Aging, and the Graying of Society Sociology
The current life expectancy for world in 2024 is 73.33 years, a 0.23% increase from 2023. The 2024 report also highlights how the effects have been felt unequally across the world.
What is migration? immigration? emigration?
Migration is the movement of people from one area to another
Immigration is the movement of people into a nation-state
Emigration is the movement of people out of a nation state
What is doubling time?
refers to the number of years it takes for a population to double. A country’s doubling time can radically influence its future
What are population predictions ?
Population Projections are projections of a population and are very useful for anticipating societal changes
What is the theory of population? Malthusian Theorem?
is a population projection that suggests the population will exceed the available food supply because populations grow at geometric rates while food supplies grow at arithmetic rates
Thomas Malthus argued that we were at risk of mortality crisis. He argued that the only way to avoid population exceed food production and resources was to practice “moral restraint”
What are Neo-Malthusians? What are Anti-Malthusians?
Neo-Malthusians believe that population growth will eventually outpace available resources, leading to a global catastrophe.
Anti-Malthusians believe that family planning (contraception or any other method of controlling family size and birth of children) and other changes will eventually cause population shrinkage.
What is the Demographic Transition Theory?
theory works off the impact of industrialization. With increased public sanitation and health, people begin to control their own fertility as they move from agrarian to industrial societies.
Stage 1 – in agricultural society, high birth rates and death rates, population grows slowly
Stage 2 - industrialization, migration to cities, better health, leads to high birth rates & lower death rate
Stage 3 - mature industrialization, birth rate decline, still lower death rates, life expectancy increases
Stage 4 - postindustrial society, constant or declining population, higher standard of living leads to long life expectancy
Stage 5–further declining population; rate of natural decrease
What are the issues associated with population growth
Food shortage and hunger
The poorest and most remote countries have fast population growth and inadequate food supplies availability of birth control is lower in these countries
Wars and instability also influence food supplies
What is Urbanization? What is Suburbanization? What is Urban Spawl? What is gentrification?
refers to the movement of increasing numbers of people from rural areas to urban areas. Globally we are seeing an increase in urbanization
Suburbanization is the shift of large segments of population away from the urban core and toward the edge of cities.
Urban sprawl is a derogatory term applied to the expansion of urban or suburban boundaries, associated with irresponsible or poorly planned development.
gentrification—the transformation of poor inner-city neighborhoods into more affluent, middle-class communities.
What are the areas of focus in environmental sociology?
The political economy of the environment
Sustainable development
Societal attitudes about the environment
The environmental movement
Environmental Justice
What does the the Political Economy of the Environment focus on?
how economic factors influence the way organizations and corporations use the environment.
