Population An Introduction to Concepts And Issues 12th Edition By John R. Weeks – Test Bank

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CHAPTER  FOUR

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Become familiar with the basic sources of demographic data.

• Understand the nature of census-taking as a fundamental source of information.

• Become knowledgeable about the demographic uses of vital statistics, administrative data, and sample surveys as sources of information.

• Know what kinds of historical data are useful in demographic analysis.

• Understand the spatial nature of demographic information and analysis.

MAIN POINTS

• In order to study population processes and change, you need to know how many people are alive, how many are being born, how many are dying, how many are moving in and out, and why these things are happening.
• A basic source of demographic information is the population census, in which information is obtained about all people in a given area at a specific time.
• Not all countries regularly conduct censuses, but most of the population of the world has been enumerated since 2000.
• Errors in the census typically come about as a result of nonsampling errors (the most important source of error, including coverage error and content error) or sampling errors.
• It has been said that censuses are important because if you aren’t counted, you don’t count.
• Information about births and deaths usually comes from vital registration records—data recorded and compiled by government agencies. The most complete vital registration systems are found in the most highly developed nations, while they are often nonexistent in less developed areas.
• Most of the estimates of the magnitude of population growth and change are derived by combining census data with vital registration data (as well as administrative data), using the demographic balancing equation.
• Sample surveys are sources of information for places in which census or vital registration data do not exist or where reliable information can be obtained less expensively by sampling than by conducting a census.
• Parish records and old census data are important sources of historical information about population changes in the past.
• Spatial demography involves using geographic information systems to analyze demographic data from a spatial perspective, thus contributing substantially to our understanding of how the world works.

EXAMINATION QUESTIONS

Multiple-Choice (Choose the single best answer—the page where the answer is found is indicated in parentheses)

• The word census comes from the Latin for
  • “per 100 people.”
  • “socioeconomic.”
  • “taxing.” (102)
  • “subjects.”
• Historically, censuses have often been taken in conjunction with
  • the conquest of a new area. (104)
  • the aftermath of natural disasters.
  • preparation for battle.
  • the transition to democracy.
• The word statistic is derived from the German word meaning
  • “applied mathematics.”
  • “facts about a state.” (103)
  • “census or survey.”
  • “political economy.”
• Censuses designed specifically to inquire about population characteristics became increasingly popular in the _____ century.
  • fourteenth
  • seventeenth
  • nineteenth (104)
  • twentieth
• Nigeria’s modern censuses have been contentious mainly because of
  • corruption associated with oil revenue.
  • a history of civil wars.
  • ethnic tensions and rivalries. (105)
  • north–south differences in educational attainment.
• Lebanon has not had a census since 1932 mainly because of tension between
  • Arab and French speakers.
  • Christians and Muslims. (105)
  • higher- and lower-status persons.
  • Lebanese and Israelis.
• The single most important purpose of the census in the United States is to
  • apportion seats in the House of Representatives. (106)
  • provide marketers with accurate data about potential customers.
  • apportion seats in the U.S. Senate.
  • provide policy planners with accurate demographic information.
• Beginning with the 2010 Census of the United States, the “long-form” data have been replaced by information from the
  • Demographic and Health Survey.
  • Current Population Survey.
  • Accuracy and Coverage Evaluation Survey.
  • American Community Survey. (108)
• The United States, Mexico, and Canada all include people in the census on the basis of
  • de facto residence.
  • usual residence. (111)
  • de jure residence.
  • common law residence.
• The existence of a differential undercount by race in the United States was first discovered after the census in
  • 1890.
  • 1920.
  • 1940. (115)
  • 1950.
• Of the following, which is not a method employed to measure coverage error in the census?
  • The demographic balancing equation
  • Demographic analysis
  • Dual-system estimation
  • Differential undercount (116)
• Unlike data from the short form of the census, the American Community Survey data are subject to issues of _____ error.
  • content
  • coverage
  • sampling (118)
  • continuous measurement
• For most countries, vital registration is aimed at collecting data on _____ and ______.
  • births; deaths (125)
  • abortions; fetal deaths
  • in-migration; out-migration
  • marriage; divorce
• The United States, Canada, and Mexico all collect national demographic data on a monthly survey basis, focusing largely on
  • labor force participation. (127)
  • migration.
  • consumer expenditures.
  • income and program participation.
• If you wanted to obtain recent detailed population data about a sub-Saharan African country, the most likely source of such information would be the
  • INDEPTH Network demographic surveillance sites.
  • Demographic and Health Survey. (129)
  • World Fertility Survey.
  • Family and Fertility Survey.
• If you were interested in doing historical demographic research in China, the most likely source of information available to you would be
  • family genealogies. (130)
  • population registers.
  • church parish records.
  • school enrollment data.
• Spatial demography refers to the analysis of demographic data that takes _______ into account.
  • business uses of demography
  • the location of people being studied (131)
  • globalization
  • congressional apportionment
• The concept of spatial autocorrelation as it relates to demography is best captured by which of the following phrases?
  • Correlation is not necessarily causation.
  • It takes one to know one.
  • Birds of a feather flock together. (132)
  • Go west, young man.
• Demographics are used in business marketing principally to accomplish which of the following?
  • Predict changes in the age structure.
  • Find the people who will buy a given product. (132)
  • Avoid expensive litigation related to discrimination.
  • Reposition declining industries.
• Many useful technologies have been developed in direct conjunction with the U.S. census, except for the
  • cell phone. (135)
  • photo-optical scanning device.
  • computer.
  • card punch tabulating machine.

True-False

• The Domesday Book in England represents the first modern census. F (103)
• Germany has always had a population register rather than conducting a census. F (104)
• A census has been taken every 10 years in the United States since 1790. T (106)
• The U.S., Canadian, and Mexican censuses all ask questions about either race, ethnicity, or language. T (109)
• Congressional redistricting in the United States is demographic in nature because geo-referenced demographic data are required to create the districts. T (113)
• The most important source of potential error in most censuses is content error. F (116)
• The principal benefit of the American Community Survey is that it contains data that are more timely than those from a census. T (119)
• The first census taken in Mexico after the Mexican Revolution was in 1970. F (120)
• Public Use Microdata are individual-level data from censuses in the United States and other countries. T (121)
• The U.S. Census Bureau has played a significant role in the development of geographic information science. T (134)

ESSAY/DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• In the United States, data are already collected from nearly everyone for Social Security cards and drivers’ licenses. Why then does the country not have a population register that would eliminate the need for the census?
• Survey data are never available at the same geographic detail as are census data. What are the disadvantages associated with demographic data that are not provided at a fine geographic scale?
• Virtually all of the demographic surveys and surveillance systems administered in developing countries are paid for by governments in richer countries. What is the advantage to richer countries of helping less-rich countries to collect demographic data?
• What is the value to us in the twenty-first century of having an accurate demographic picture of earlier centuries?
• Provide an example of spatial autocorrelation from your own personal experience. How might this concept influence your demographic perspective?

WEBSITES SUGGESTED FOR THIS CHAPTER

http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/sources/census/censusdates.htm   The United Nations Statistics Division facilitates census-taking throughout the world, and at this site you can see the current status of censuses undertaken or planned for each country.

http://www.census.gov The home page of the U.S. Census Bureau. From here you can locate an amazing variety of information, including the latest releases of census data, the American Community Survey, and all of the surveys conducted by the Census Bureau. This is one of the most accessed websites in the world.

http://www.statcan.gc.ca The home page of Statistics Canada, the government organization that conducts the censuses and surveys in Canada. From here you can obtain census data and track other demographically related information about Canada, including vital statistics and survey data, and you can do so in either English or French.

http://www.inegi.gob.mx The home page of INEGI (Instituto Nacional de Estadística, Geografía, y Informática), which is the government agency in Mexico that conducts the censuses and related demographic surveys, as well as compiling the vital statistics for Mexico. You can obtain all of the latest census and survey information from this site, although you will need to be able to read Spanish to do so.

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/  In many countries (including Canada and Mexico), a central statistical agency conducts censuses and also collects vital statistics. Not so in the United States, where these functions were divided up in the 1940s. The vital statistics data are collected from each state, tabulated, analyzed, and disseminated by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which is part of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

http://www.socialexplorer.com/pub/home/home.aspx  Various census-derived maps are available at this site created by Andrew Beveridge at Queens College in New York City, although the full range of possibilities requires a subscription.

And, of course, you can check out the latest items for this chapter on my blog:

http://weekspopulation.blogspot.com/search/label/demographic%20data