13.1 Illustrate the pattern of the world’s population growth over time.

13.2 Discuss the relationship between institutions and population patterns including fertility, mortality, and migration.

13.3 Describe the individual decisions that affect population patterns.

13.4 Explain the national and global urbanization trends.

13.5 Predict the environmental and other impacts of human movements to urban areas.

Key Points:

• Population analysis (called demography) looks at the composition, distribution, and size of a population and how variables of fertility, mortality, and migration impact society.
• The population of the world has increased dramatically since industrialization. Its implications for society can be viewed in population pyramids.
• Various theories explain the causes and repercussions of rapid population growth.
• Many institutions affect and are affected by fertility and mortality rates at the meso level—government, reli­gion, the economy, education, and health care.
• Migration is also an important issue for society— whether the migration is international or internal—for it can change the size, distribution, and composition of a nation’s citizenry.
• Population patterns can also affect individual decisions at the micro level, from career choices to business deci­sions to retirement plans.
• A major element of population migration has been urbanization. As populations become more densely concentrated, this creates a series of opportunities and problems for meeting human needs.

Summary:

Population trends, including migration resulting in urbaniza­tion, provide a dynamic force for change in societies. Whether one is interested in understanding social problems, social policy, or factors that may affect one’s own career, it is help­ful to understand demographic processes. We ignore them at our peril—as individuals and as a society. If we overlook demographic patterns, family businesses can be destroyed, retirement plans obliterated, and the health of our communi­ties sabotaged. Awareness of such patterns can enhance planning that leads to prosperity and enjoyment of our communities.