World Population Notes

Unit one Intro to study of world population.

1. About how fast is the world population growing per year?
Less than 2%.
2. About how many people are being added to the world’s
population each day? 200 thousand.
3. How does the current rate of growth in the world’s population
compare with population in pre-modern life? Pre modern growth
rates were: FASTER
4. About how many years does it take to add a billion people to
the world’s population today? 10 years
5. What is the main reason for increase in the world population?
Decreasing death rates.
6. What has been the trend in the rate of growth of the world
population since the 1960s? Slowly Decreasing
7. Most populous countries
i. China 1.2 billion 21%
ii. India 1.014 Billion 17%
iii. U.S.A. 275 million 5%
iv. Indonesia 225 million 4%
v. Brazil 173 million 3%
vi. Russia 146 million 2%
8. T/F Census taking is relatively recent phenomenon begun by
modern governments. FALSE
9. T/F In the U.s. a census has been administered every decade
since 1790. TRUE
10. T/F In 2000 detailed census forms (the long form) were
completed by less than 20% of the U.S. Households. TRUE
11. T/F Census forms typically include questions on vital events
(e.g., birth, marriage, and death). FALSE
12. T/F Virtually every country in the world now administers a
census. TRUE
13.What is the average age (median age) of The U.S. population?
36
14.How many males are born in the U.S. for every 100 females
born? 105
15.A population is considered young if 35% or more of its people
are under what age? 15
16.Compared with other countries, the population of the U.S. is:
Young
17.What population process affects most powerfully the age and
sex structure of a country over the short term? Migration
B Unit two Demographic Perspectives

1. Malthusian/Neo-Malthusian - Technology will not enable

world food production to keep up with world population
growth.
2. Malthusian/Neo-Malthusian – Poverty is ultimately a result
of excessive population growth.
3. Malthusian – The only means of population control that is
acceptable is through practices such as delaying marriage,
remaining chaste while single, and exercising moral
restraint.
4. Neo-Malthusian – Contraception is an acceptable means of
birth control.
5. Marxist – Poverty is the result of capitalism, not
overpopulation.
6. Marxist – Technology will enable world food production to
keep up with world population growth.
7. Marxist – Population problems would not exist if society
were reorganized along socialist lines.
8. Simon – Population growth in a country stimulates economic
development.
9. Malthus/Ehrlich – Unless the current rate of growth in the
world’s population is checked, the world will face economic
disaster.
10. Dumont – The desire of families to improve their status in
society will lead to smaller families.
11. Davis – Children are expensive to raise; this is one of
the main factors limiting family size.
12.Easterlin – A family’s standard of living is the key to
family size: a higher standard of living will result in
larger family size.
13. Garrett Hardin – Tragedy of the commons.
14. Paul Ehrlich – The population explosion.
15. Karl Marx - capitalism causes population problems
16. Ester Boserup – Population growth generates agricultural
innovations.
17. Julian Simon - Humans are the “ultimate resource” so the
more the better.
18. Richard Easterlin - When competition for jobs is less, men
will have more children.
19. Kingsley Davis – As prosperity increases and mortality
falls, people have smaller families.
20. Gary Becker – The new home economics explains the family
size.
21. Thomas Malthus – Birth control is a nasty business.
22. Arsene Dumont – Social capillary, or the desire to rise on
the social scale, leads to small families.
 23. John Stuart Mill – The standard of living determines
fertility levels.
24. Emile Durkheim – Population growth leads to a division of
labor.
25.Demographic transition stage 1 – High fertility/High
mortality-Slow population growth: Egypt, Sub-Saharan Africa
26.Demographic transition stage 2 – High fertility/Low
mortality-Rapid population growth: Mexico,
27.Demographic transition stage 3 – Low fertility/Low
mortality-Decreasing population: U.S., Canada, Brazil,
Russia, Western Europe, China, Japan

C Unit three Mortality

1. The oldest age to which a person can live is referred to as:

Lifespan
2. The oldest authenticated age to which a person has lived is: 122
3. The statistical average life expectancy at birth for the world
is estimated to be about: 66 (78 in U.S.)
4. Among the following countries (France, Sweden, Japan, U.S.),
which has the highest life expectancy (80 years)? Japan
5. The leading cause of death in the U.S. is from: Degenerative
diseases.
6. The region of the world with the most people living with
HIV/AIDS is: Sub-Saharan Africa
7. What is the order of the top three degenerative diseases causing
death in the U.S.? Heart disease, Cancer, Stroke
8. In Pre-modern times, the principle cause of death was most
likely from: Poor Nutrition
9. During the agricultural revolution, people began to live in more
densely settled villages making the principle cause of death
most likely to be from: Communicable Diseases.
10. In more highly developed countries today, most people die from:
Degenerative Diseases
11. In the U.S. today (and in other highly developed countries)
death rates tend to be the highest during the following age
group: Over 65
12. Causes of death more prevalent before the epidemiological
transition: Famine, Smallpox, Influenza, Tuberculosis, Malaria.
13. Causes of death more prevalent after the epidemiological
transition: Lung Cancer, Breast Cancer, Emphysema, Stroke.
14. Crude Death Rate: Total deaths per year divided by total mid
year population, multiplied by 1000, or total deaths per year
per 1000 people.
15. Age/(Sex) Specific Death Rate: Obtained form census data, the
total age/specific deaths +5 in a year divided by the total
age/sex population for the same.
16. T/F If you live in a city, you are likely to live longer than if
you live in a rural area. TRUE
17. T/F On average poor people live longer than rich people. FALSE
18. T/F Unmarried people live longer than married people. FALSE
19. T/F Between birth and retirement age, you are most vulnerable to
death in the first year of life. TRUE
20. T/F In the U.S. two of the deadliest occupations are police
officer and firefighter. FALSE
21. T/F In the U.S. occupational death rates are low for airplane
pilots and navigators. FALSE
22. T/F in most countries young adults have relatively low death
rates. TRUE