Rurality Index for Small Areas in Spain

An operational definition for “rural area” is pivotal if proposals, policies and decisions aimed at optimising the distribution of resources, closing the gap on inequity between areas and raising standards of living for the least advantaged populations are to be put in place. The concept of rurality, however, is often based on alternative and conflicting definitions, requiring clarification of the underlying theoretical model. Traditionally a geographical area has been classified as rural by taking into account either the number of inhabitants or population density. Two kinds of problem are raised with this approach, however, namely: it is inherently difficult to describe such a complex concept as rurality with a single variable; and reducing the concept down to a rural/urban dichotomy by setting a non-universal cut-off point does not usually provide an accurate account of reality. Within the context of the rural–urban continuum, this paper has devised a rurality index for Spanish municipalities based on the 1991 Population, Housing and Household Survey. The index was built on a principal components factor analysis, giving rise to a single factor that is correlated to the aging of the population, economic dependency, farming, livestock or fishing-related employment, habitability of housing and population density. A score to each municipality was allocated. This index can be regularly updated thus enabling the progress of the concept of rurality to be monitored in our setting over time and then compared with other countries using the same methods.     

Deprivation index for small areas in Spain

The term deprivation is often used to refer to economic or social shortages in a given geographical area. This concept of deprivation has been identified for years using simple indicators such as income level, education and social class. One of the advantages of using simple indicators is the availability of data, since they come directly from sources of information like censuses and population registers. However, the main disadvantage of these indicators is their limited usefulness when measuring a concept as complex as deprivation with a single variable. One possible solution to this problem is using compound indices, made up of a combination of simple indicators. For years, the concept of material deprivation in Spain has been measured using indices or indicators imported from other countries. However, there are no studies that investigate if all of these variables are really related to material deprivation in Spain. In this context, the objective of this study is to create a synthetic index for material deprivation for the municipalities in Spain, bearing in mind the variables available from the Population and Housing Census. The index was built on a principal components factor analysis. The analysis showed two factors. The first factor showed a high positive correlation to the variables relating to illiteracy rate, unemployment rate and percentage of manual labourers, while the second factor was seen as highly positively correlated to the variables relating to the percentage of homes without access to a vehicle and the dependency index and also correlated, though negatively, to the percentage of foreigners between 16 and 49 who lived abroad in 1991. The variables that make up the first factor can be considered to be an approximation of the concept of deprivation in Spain. This study proposes a deprivation index made up of three simple indicators available from national information sources: percentage of illiteracy, percentage of unemployment and percentage of manual labourers. With this index, the criteria for measuring deprivation in Spanish municipalities can be unified and a comparison of the results of the different studies in our context facilitated.     

Socio-demographic structure of Sydney’s perimetropolitan region

The reach of cities extends well beyond the newest outer suburbs to at least the limits of commuting. Beyond the suburbs lie rural lands and urban centres which increasingly take on the function of suburbs. This peri metropolitan region has been researched from various perspectives and there has been a resurgence of interest in recent years. The paper conceptualizes processes driving change in perimetropolitan regions then, using Sydney as a case study, analyses population growth rates and internal migration patterns between 1981 and 1991. Next, a set of social and demographic variables derived from the 1986 Census is analysed to derive four key dimensions of socio-spatial structure, namely: disadvantage, rurality, socio-economic status and retirement.     

内蒙古人口的文化素质

人口的文化素质直接与人的受教育程度有关。运用 PEMS统计软件的方法对第三、第四次人口普查和1 995年 1 %人口抽样调查资料进行分析 ,可以看出 ,内蒙古的人口素质有了很大提高 ,中高等教育得到普及 ,文化构成上的性别差异也在缩小 ,但城乡间的差异仍然存在     

新疆各地州市人口现代化差异分析及评价

本文主要根据《新疆统计年鉴》和2000年新疆维吾儿自治区第五次人口普查的资料,选用了11个人口和社会发展的指标建立了人口现代化指标体系。通过SPSS统计分析软件进行主成分分析,选取三个主成分,分别用以反映各地州市人口现代化发展水平在人口社会结构与生活质量、教育水平模式与人口身体素质等三个方面的差异,最后,经过聚类分析,将全疆各地州市人口现代化水平分为五种类型,并分析了五个类型各自的特征与差别,进行了评价。     

A census-based analysis of the economic status of older indigenous Australians

The focus of this paper is the educational and economic status of indigenous Australians aged 50 years and over as reported in the 1991 Population Census. These indigenous people were less likely to be in employment than other Australians in the same age group and were more likely to be in unskilled occupations. Although there was no evidence of an improvement in the relative individual incomes of indigenous people in this age group between 1986 and 1991, there was some evidence of gains relative to other Australians in the share of the population in employment. This probably reflects the expansion of the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme and as such should not be taken as an indicator of growth in indigenous employment independent of government support.     

中国人口发展指数研究

人口发展是落实科学发展观、确保人口安全乃至国家安全的战略基础。从人口自身发展水平、人口与经济社会发展水平、人口可持续发展能力三个层面建立人口发展评价指标体系,并依照熵值法、层次分析法集成确定评价指标的权重,编制全国及各地区的人口发展评价指数。测算结果表明,2007年全国人口发展综合指数为40.6%,较2006年提高1.7个百分点;东部沿海、东北地区领先于全国其他地区。     

人口城乡结构变动对城镇失业保险需求的影响研究

人口城乡结构变动是引发失业保险需求增长的因素之一,本文在对失业保险需求概念及人口城乡结构变动对失业保险需求影响定性分析的基础上,构建了失业人口变动测算模型和失业保险需求测算模型。以陕西省为例的测算结果表明,引入人口城乡结构变动因素时的失业保险需求远大于不引入人口城乡结构变动时的失业保险需求,两者之间的差额从2010年的12.70亿元增长至2020年的31.72亿元,年均递增9.59%。     

Social Backwardness in Mexico City Metropolitan Area

This paper presents a methodology for estimating the index of social backwardness by urban blocks at Mexico City Metropolitan Area. The index, originally developed by the National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy is a measure that seeks to establish differences between geographical areas located in the same region. The area of interest is inhabited by more than 20 million people assuming to be heterogeneous in their levels of quality of life. By closely following the official guidelines and by using the Population and Housing Census 2010, the obtained results are surprising. The urban block estimation suggests a 10.1 % of total population suffering from a high degree of social backwardness, contrary to the official measurements which sets it out around 0.3 %.     

Aboriginal population prospects

Data from the 1991 Census largely confirm earlier projections of the size and structure of the Aboriginal population, although the data for Torres Strait Islanders are markedly inconsistent with previous counts. The 1986 and 1991 Censuses mark the first intercensal period for decades for which Aboriginal population counts have been consistent. This provides an opportunity, taken in this paper, to examine closely the discrepancies between projections and the 1991 Census and to comment on ways in which determinants of Aboriginal population change are diverging from the parameters used for previous projections. We pay particular attention to mortality prospects, because of the occurrence in the 1991 Census of a higher than expected sex ratio and differences between projections and counts for certain age groups. We note the evidence for under-enumeration of the Aboriginal population in particular age groups in the 1991 Census as in previous censuses, and estimate the size of adjustments necessary to correct for some, but not all, of these deficiencies. The analysis shows that Aboriginal fertility increased in the second half of the 1980s.     

上海人口城市化和再分布发展态势

本文主要通过对历次人口普查数据的分析,指出城市人口郊区化与农村人口城市化共同加快推进,是上海人口再分布的主旋律;上海人口城市化仍相对滞后于经济发展和非农化水平;外来人口对上海人口城市化和再分布有着重要影响;人口城市化和再分布实质上是一个深刻的社会重构过程。     

The United States population by race and urban-rural residence 1790–1860: Reference tables

The U.S. population by race and urban-rural residence from 1790 to 1860 is presented. The definition of the urban population used is that population residing in incorporated places of 2,500 population or more. The rural population is the residual of the total population minus the urban population, as defined above. The tables provide previously unavailable data on the urban-rural distribution of the black and white populations 1790–1860 and are compatible with data for the total population published by the Census Bureau.     

Suicide and rurality in Alabama communities

Empirical research findings suggest that suicide increases with rurality, but research on rural suicide leaves many questions unanswered. This study specifies problems of community organization as a reason for expecting a positive effect of rurality on the suicide rate. A multiple regression analysis of county data shows that rurality has a substantial positive effect and is, in fact, the best predictor of the suicide rate among several variables selected from the previous literature. Additional research is needed to test the interpretation that rurality contributes to an incomplete, fragmented form of community organization which influences the suicide rate by disrupting primary relationships.     

Non-familial activity and socio-economic differentials in fertility

The relationship between socio-economicstatus and fertility among married women is examined, using data from the 1/1,000 sample from the 1960 United States Census of Population and the 1960 Growth of American Families Study. Both sets of data indicate that the negative relationship between socio-economic status and fertility is still prevalent but may reflect different patterns of child-spacing rather than completed fertility. Labor force participation among these women is found to be negatively related to the number of children ever born. To determine the degree of involvement in this type of non-familial role, the work index or proportion of one’s married life engaged in the labor force is developed. The work index is found to be a particularly sensitive measure of involvement in the worker role vis-a-vis their fertility. The working hypothesis of this study, that such non-familial activity has a different effect according to one’s socio-economic status, is borne out. Participation in the labor force results in a relatively larger reduction in the fertility of upper status women than for those of lower status. However, this relationship apparently holds true only for those women from rural backgrounds but not for those from large urban areas.     

Using Indicators of Multiple Deprivation to Demonstrate the Spatial Legacy of Apartheid in South Africa

This paper presents a spatial analysis of multiple deprivation in South Africa and demonstrates that the most deprived areas in the country are located in the rural former homeland areas. The analysis is undertaken using the datazone level South African Index of Multiple Deprivation which was constructed from the 2001 Census. Datazones are a new statistical geography designed especially for this Index using techniques developed in the United Kingdom. They are smaller in population size than wards, enabling fine-grained spatial analysis of deprivation across the whole of South Africa. The spatial scale used is the smallest to be used in a developing country to date. Levels of deprivation are compared between former homeland areas as a whole, the rest of South Africa and a case-study township, as well as between each former homeland. Individual dimensions of deprivation and an overall composite measure are presented. Municipality-level analysis shows that this spatial pattern of multiple deprivation continued to persist in 2007, demonstrating the ongoing spatial legacy of apartheid.     

A review of current population databases on Puerto Rico

Population studies of Puerto Rico have recently gained salience as recent environmental and economic shocks have affected demographic behavior. In this review, we describe the major population databases on Puerto Rico and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each. These databases include three from the US Census Bureau—the Decennial Population Census, the Puerto Rico Community Survey, and the Population Estimates Program—and three additional databases used to study migration (the Bureau of Transportation Statistics), health (the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System), and labor (the Puerto Rico Labor Survey). These databases can be used to study emerging demographic topics, as well as inequities in population outcomes.

     

State-Level 2010 Census Coverage Rates for Young Children

The Census Bureau’s demographic analysis (DA) shows that the net undercount rate for children aged 0–4 was 4.6 percent in the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census while adults (age 18 and older) had a net overcount rate of 0.7 percent. For the population aged 0–4, DA estimates are seen as more accurate than the U.S. Decennial Census because the estimates for this young population rely heavily on highly accurate birth certificate data. Given the relatively high net undercount rate for young children, it would be useful to examine census coverage rates for this population in subnational geographic units. In this study, the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census counts of children aged 0–4 are compared to the corresponding figures from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2010 Population Estimates in each state. Differences between the 2010 U.S. Decennial Census count and the Vintage 2010 Population Estimates for the population aged 0–4 range from an estimated net undercount of 10.2 percent in Arizona to an estimated net overcount of 2.1 percent in North Dakota. Larger states tended to have higher net undercounts than smaller states. The ten largest states account for about 70 percent of the national net undercount of the population aged 0–4. Of all the factors examined here, the relative size of the Blacks Alone or in Combination plus Hispanics population is most highly correlated with the estimated net undercount of the population aged 0–4. Other measures that were highly correlated with net undercount rates for the population aged 0–4 were linguistic isolation, percent of adults without a high school degree, and the unemployment rate. In general, characteristics of people are more highly correlated with the net undercount rates of young children than the characteristics of housing units.     

How useful are the demographic surveys in explaining the determinants of early marriage of girls in the Terai of Nepal?

In recent decades significant changes in Nepalese society have greatly contributed to the increase in age at marriage of girls in Nepal. Factors responsible for these changes include educational development, urbanization and development of mass communications. However, many parents still marry their daughters at very young ages and this practice is particularly prevalent in the Terai region. This paper examines several demographic data sets with a view to assessing their utility for understanding the determinants of early age of marriage of girls in the Terai. The Nepal Family Health Survey (1996), Nepal Demographic and Health Surveys (2001, 2006), the Nepal Adolescents and Young Adults Survey (1999) and the 2001 Population Census of Nepal describe changes in at marriage over time. Factors such as sex, religion, education, geographic region, place of residence (rural/urban), economic status of the household and of women, and occupation are included in these data sets. However, other factors such as age at menarche, dowry and cost of marriage and cross-border marriage migration, which have been found to affect the prevalence of the lower age at marriage of girls in the Terai region, have not been included in the existing demographic surveys. Findings from the current study suggest that these variables should be included in future demographic surveys.     

Migration and fertility in Puerto Rico

Abstract In an investigation based on special tabulations of the 25 per cent sample from the 1960 Census of Population for Puerto Rico, it is found that migration experience tends to be associated with fertility for various marital statuses, including consensual unions, and for rural, urban and metropolitan residence. The findings cannot be attributed to variations in age composition among the various categories as age standardization and age-specificcomparisons yield similar results. However, it is also found that rural-urban and consensually-legally mated differentials in fertility cannot be accounted for by variations in the migration variables that are examined. Thus, consistently higher fertility is found for non-migrants than for migrants; for consensually mated than for legally married and for rural than for urban or metropolitan residents. With a single exception, women in consensual unions, fertility is lower for women in the San Juan metropolitan area than in the other urban areas.     

中国人口空间分布形态模拟与预测--基于“五普”和“六普”的分县尺度人口密度研究

人口空间分布不平衡是一个普遍现象,但其“是否有分布和统计规律”的研究议题非常鲜见。通过中国第五次和第六次人口普查的分县尺度数据模拟出中国分县尺度人口密度的概率分布函数,并进行概率分布预测,分析了未来中国人口分布统计特征。主要结论有：模拟显示,中国分县尺度人口密度符合对数正态分布形态;以2000年分县尺度数据的前向（未来）预测检验和2010年数据的后向（过去）预测检验发现,“人均产出”和“地均产出”两个条件能很好地模拟未来人口密度的分布规律;以2010年分县尺度为基础预测了2020－2100年的中国人口密度概率分布特征和趋势,结果显示中国人口分布极化特征将持续加大,例如2050年,无人区（小于1人／平方公里）的县域比例将从当前的1.02％（29个）增加到4.49％（128个）,超高密集区（大于30000人／平方公里）的区县比例将从0.11％（3个）增加到3.93％（112个）。