1. Why is it important for policy makers to under­stand demographic trends in their communities and nation? Why should you be interested in such knowledge? How might it impact your under­standing of and positions on issues related to (a) immigration, (b) education, (c) health care, and (d) Social Security legislation?

2. How many children (if any) do you think you would (ideally) like to have? Why? What might make this (ideal) number change?

3. What are some examples of (a) pronatalist and (b) antinatalist policies? Do you approve of such policies? Why or why not? How might your perspective differ depending on the demograph­ics of your particular nation?

4. How is the social status of girls and women related to a society’s ability to control population growth? If you were a male leader in the govern­ment of an overcrowded nation, why and how might you use this information to promote gender equality in your country? How might your ideas be perceived differently, depending on your sex?

5. What are some of the major reasons people leave their country of origin and move to another? Have you ever done so? Why? If not, under what cir­cumstances would you be willing to leave the country in which you were born and move to another?

6. How do your attitudes toward those around you and your behavior differ in rural, suburban, and urban settings? Why?