Changing demographic geography of Kendal through time

• Kendal's changing population:

  • S kendal more urban-rural migration
  • spatial variations
  • was an ageing population structure but now more young families
  • migration
  • health, education, employment, wealth, deprivation
• Kendal's population is:

  • Stable and slowly growing
  • ageing quickly > affects % of under 16s
  • Losing 20-30 year olds
  • Not ethically diverse but increasing
  • Generally affluent and healthy
  • attractive area to live for retired people and those seeking access to open countryside looking for an active lifestyle
  • socio-economically diverse
• Quantitative data > Cumbria Intelligence Observatory uses UK census data from 2021 > age structure:

  • 51% girls, 49% males, same for rest of UK
  • 55-59 yr = 7.6% of pop
  • compared to rest of UK which is 55-59 yr = 6.7% > higher than eng average in Kendal
• Census > Economic activity:

  • econ active = 59%
  • ^ rest of UK = 58%
  • Kendal higher > more young working than elderly retired
• Census > occupation:

  • K = 16% professional, Eng = 20%
  • K = 13% skilled trades, Eng = 10%
  • K = 7% process, plants, machine, Eng = 6.9%
  • Very diverse in K, spread across job sectors
  • Less professionals in K then Eng > location? > more skilled who work in agri in K
• Census > Deprivation > IMD:

  • K = 10% of households in fuel poverty - low income/ low energy efficiency, Eng = 13% > lower than av > more econ active
  • K = 3% econ inactive, Eng = 4% > less in K
• Census > ethnicity:

  • K = 87% white, Eng = 81%
  • K = 1% Asian, Eng = 9%
  • much less diverse in K
• Census > self-reported health:

  • K = 48% vv good, Eng = 48% > the same
  • K = 35% good, Eng = 33%
  • K = 13% fair, Eng = 12%
  • K = 4% bad, Eng = 4%
  • K - 1% vv bad, Eng = 1.2%
  • Subjective > based on perspective
• Census > ownership/ tenancy of housing (tenure):

  • K = 41% owns outright, Eng = 32% > more ppl own in K but less than half can acc afford to live here
  • K = 13% socially rented, Eng = 17%
  • K = 16% private rent, Eng = 20%
• Census > household size and rooms:

  • K = 34% 1 person, Eng = 30% > smaller household sizes
  • K = 36% 2 person, Eng = 34% > 2 ppl highest for both
  • K = 14% 3 person, Eng = 16%
  • K = 11% 4 person, Eng = 12%
• Advantages of the census:

  • Data is open source so can be used by everyone 
  • Very large sample so statistically reliable > genralise
  • All variables can be compared across space 
  • Some variables can be compared across time
• Disadvantages of the census:

  • Different questions are asked every decade so not everything can be compared across time 
  • People complete the survey about themselves so much of the data is self-identified, this can be misleading when it comes to data on health 
  • Completing the survey requires reading and writing skills 
  • Some people do not fill it out