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The Human Population: Patterns, Processes, and Problematics Lecture #19: Ch14: Demographics Paul Sutton psutton@du.edu Department of Geography University of Denver
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Ch 14: Demographics The material covered in Chapters 1-13 can actually be put to practical use. People make a living as “Demographers” –Political Planning –Social Planning –Business Planning
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Defining Demography Demography is a small but significant academic discipline dedicated to discovering new information about population patterns and processes Demographics or ‘Applied Demography’ is the process of using existing theory, knowledge, and data to solve real world problems.
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Uses of Demographics Central to the U.S. Political Process –Census for apportionment & redistricting –Allocation of tax dollars –Social security –Fiscal impacts of immigration –Campaign strategy Social Planning –School districting –Crime mapping/resource allocation –Day care provision –Hospital locating Business Planning –Marketing –Site selection –Labor pool analysis
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GIS and Demography Data is much easier to handle and visualize. Dramatic changes taking place in demography as a result of GIS
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Marketing to Hispanics in San Diego
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Congressional Reapportionment & Redistricting State Pop Counts due to president on December 31 st of year of census 435 congressional seats to allocate to the states Each State gets at least one house representative. Then use ‘Method of Equal Proportions’ In 2000 32 of 50 states neither lost nor gained seats If # of seats change for a state then redistricting occurs.
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Figure 14.3 What’s wrong with this picture?
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Gerrymandering Image (steal)
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Steal 2000 Election Slide from GIS lecture here.
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Campaign Strategy “The demography of the voting age population within a political district is a crucial ingredient in winning an election because demographic characteristics such as age, sex, race, likelihood of voting, and to some extent political preferences.” Candidates are “packaged and sold” just like consumer products based on demographics. Demographics is the key element to understanding the electoral process and likelihood of winning an election.
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Legislative Analysis “Demographic change bears directly on the formulation of social policy because it determines in a large part whose income or wealth is redistributed to who.” Baby boomers in 1970’s caused inflation Govt. Policies tried to create more jobs for swelling labor force The baby boom retiring… –That’s why 401K’s were created and allowed –That’s why Social Security is such a big deal –That a reason we have lax immigration policy
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Social Planning: Education Declining enrollment Increasing enrollment Shifting enrollment Do you close some schools and open new ones elsewhere? If so, what do you do with the closed schools? –College enrollments –Baby boomlets –Aging neighborhoods
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Social Planning: Health Services Illegal Immigration and Emergency rooms in Private Hospitals. (Regionally serious problem) Aging Population and changes to health care services. Private – Public Disconnect a big problem
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Social Planning: Criminal Justics
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Social Planning: Transportation
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Business Planning “When it comes to understanding today’s consumer maketplace, just about the only thing that’s certain is that uncertainty reigns. The speed of technological change, the volatile global economy, the emergence of media- savvy, ever-more-demanding customers – all have coalesced into the blur that characterizes business-as-usual at the end of the century. “Grappling with uncertainty in business planning requires more than guesswork”, warns business guru Peter Drucker. “It requires looking at what has already happened that will create the future. The first place to look,” says Drucker, “is in demographics ” Marketing Demographics Cluster Marketing Site Selection (location, location, location) Investment Demographics Human Resource Demographics
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Marketing Demographics and Segmentation “Demographics are used to segment and target the market for a product, and this approach has become so populatr that it has eve been suggested that a television program’s demographic base now determines its commercial success “far more than sheer audience numbers” Segmentation refers to the manufacturing and packaging of products or the provision of services that appeal to specific socio-demographically identifiable groups within the population. “consumer markets are segmented on the basis of such demographic variables as geographic location, rate or product usage, income, age, sex, education, stage in the family life cycle, religion, race and social class. Industrial markets are segmented demographically according to such variables as geographic location, kind of business, rate of product usage, and size of user. Automobile manufacturers are most famous for segmenting the market and producing different cars to appeal to different categories of people.”
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The Ford Mustang (“a demographic product”) “Our market research showed that the youthful image of the new decade had afirm basis in demographic reality. Millions of teenagers, born in the postwar baby boom, were about to9 surge into the national marketplace. Here was a market in search of a car. Any car that would appeal to these young customers had to have three main features: great styling, strong perfomance, and a low price.” Lee Iacoca
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What can you learn from this figure?
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Demographics and TV What commercials would you expect to see on: –Sesame Street? –NFL Football games? –Friends? –Oprah? –McNeil-Lehrer News Hour –Sponge Bob Square Pants (this might surprise you)
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Marketing and the Age Structure “People at different ages have different needs and tastes for products and differing amounts of money to spend” (duh…?) Baby Stuff Sellers –How many babies born in a give year? –Birth Order –Where are the grandparents?
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Religious Planning
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