methods of data collection
population
- census
- registration of births, deaths, and marriages (provides up to date population count between censuses)
- sampling - mini census
- national surveys - e.g. scottish household survey (continuous survey that chooses a random sample of population which is cheaper than doing a full census)
- using records - e.g. NHS, border agency, electoral register, DVLA, etc.
census
gathering population data
information gathered and uses
information gathered
- census is a survey carried out every 10 years, each householder is legally required to complete a detailed questionnaire where householders answer other questions on things such as:
- age
- sex
- occupation
- educational qualifications
- birthplace
- ethnic origin
- languages spoken
- lifetyle and standard of living
- accomodation
- health
- amenities
- housing tenure
uses
forcast population trends and initiate population policies to combat future issues and to plan for:
- maternity services
- nursery, primary and secondary education
- tertiary education
- employment, housing, transport
- pensions
- geriatric care and sheltered housing
census
gathering population data
problems
- expensive - developing countries will have other priorities for spending money e.g. housing, healthcare etc.
- nomadic people - they move from place to place meaning they may be counted more than once or not at all e.g. tuareg tribe
- illegal immigrants - may not want to be counted as they dont want to be deported leading to innaccurate data
- underregistration - e.g. one child policy in china
- low literacy - people struggle to fill out the forms and may do it wrong leading to innaccurate data
- language - multiple languages spoken mean different forms needed for each language increasing cost e.g. india has 22 official languages
- migration - many people live in shanty towns and dont have a fixed adress e.g. brazil
- poor communication and accessability - people are too spread out in difficult terrain e.g. amazon rainforest, meaning distibution of the census is difficult
- war - large number of casualties mean the information becomes outdated very fast and makes areas inaccessable for distribution due to conflict
- some groups of people do not trust the government e.g. Kurds in Northern Iraq and will not tell the truth as they do not wish to be persecuted due to their religion
- natural disasters - information changes quickly
cosequences of population in developed country (bullet shaped pyramid)
problems and solutions
- fewer young people may lead to depleted workforce in future leading to shops/services closing - recruit from abroad to fill gaps, more maternity benefits to encourage more children
- aging population strains elderly services e.g. nursing homes
- more elderly people strains healthcare as demand for epensive operations, e.g. hip replacements, increase - raise tax to pay for services
- as elderly dependancy ratio increases the cost of pensions will go up straining the working population to pay more taxes - retirement age increased
- lower unemployment rate means less pressure on gov. to pay benefits but this may lead to a skills gap - allow immigrants to increase workforce and taxpayers
consequences of population in developing country (true pyramid)
problems and solutions
- huge pressure and expense to house, educate and provide healthcare for large younger population which may reduce literacy rates as not everyone can be educated - laws to limit family size e.g. one child policy in china, more information on how to reduce births
- high unemployment rates as there are not enough jobs for high number of young people so poverty becomes widespread increasing crime rates
- overpopulation leads to lack of housing and increased amount of informal housing(shanty towns), this leads to disease due to poor sanitation
- pressure on food supplies leads to malnutrition and starvation
- more people increase traffic and congestion which increases pollution levels and can cause respiritory illness
- rural areas are under pressure ot increase farming leading to overworking soils causing them to be infertile and destroyed (desertification)
- large workforce means more development in a country as it allows industrial growth
push factor
something that encourages an individual to move away from a certain place
famine, war
pull factor
something that encourages people to move into an area
lower tax, job oppurtunities
migration barrier
something that will slow down or stop the movement of people from one place to another
physical barrier (mountains), conflict, economic
voluntary migration - mexico to usa
push and pull factors
push
- high crime rates - homocide, drug gangs, and violence
- high rates of poverty and unemployment
- lower literacy rates - less further education opportunities means lower paid jobs
- less medical support - lower quality of life
- lower average salary
pull
- jobs - greater variety of jobs which are better paid
- better education - more opportunities for further education
- supporting families - migrants send money back home to their family to support them
- family ties - communities support migrants to make them feel welcomed
- higher life expectancy - better access to food, shelter and healthcare
remember not to use repeat or reverse points e.g. less education oppotunities in mexico, more education available in the USA
voluntary migration - mexico to usa
effect on donor country (mexico)
- reduces number of families in poverty allowing them to access better services (healthcare, education, etc.)
- reduces pressure on housing, education etc. in mexico
- migration flow can be used by drug smugglers increasing crime rates in border towns
- young and skilled workers have left causing a shortage
- reduction in workforce in less skilled professions such as agriculture causng food shortages
- returning migrants bring new skills into the mexican industry
voluntary migration - mexico to usa
effect on receiving country (usa)
- migrants dont integrate into society creating tension between locals and migrants
- concerns of increased crime rates
- mexicans enrich the american culture
- spanish is taught in schools, widening the skills of young people and reducing social tensions
- mexicans fill low paying jobs
- migrants pay taxes contibuting to the economy
- labour gaps are filled
- ghetto areas can form in cities where there is a shortage of affordable homes
- increased cost of services
forced migration - syria to turkey
push and pull factors
push
- 4.25 million people made homeless due to the civil war
- high death toll means people are afraid for their lives and those of their families
- reports of kidnappings, torture and rape in syria (as well as other human rights violations)
- lack of economic growth has lead to high uneployment
- homes, shops, schools, hospitals etc. have been destroyed therefore people cannot access the services that they require
pull
- turkey has already taken in many refugees meaning people have family there who can help them settle
- safety away from warzone
- refugee camps provide basic shelter, food, and water for those who have no home
- some camps provide education for younger people
- turkey’s main religion (islam) helps to reduce social tensions
forced migration - syria to turkey
impact of donor country - syria
- brain drain - wealthy people flee homes meaning fewer people to work in high skilled jobs
- life expectancy drop- lack of medical staff means many people are untreated
- corruption - due to a lack of law enforcement
- food shortages - fewer agricultural workers means less crops are grown
- stagnant economy- high unemployment
- low tax - lack of funding for government
- ghost towns- many have left cities leaving them empty
- money sent back from turkey boosts local businesses in syria
- aging population- migrants are younger leaving older generations behind
forced migration - syria to turkey
impact on recieving country - turkey
- poor refugee camps - lack of sanitation leads to widespread illness putting pressure on healthcare
- poor migrants need gov. support
- ethnic tension - occurs between turks and syrians as the locals feel that the syrians are steeling their jobs
- migrants fill jog shortages in turkey - particularly in lower skilled and lower paid jobs
- pressure on housing
- high unemployment - migrants struggle to find work so resort to informal work meaning they are easily manipulated
- greater cultural diversity
