Demographics

• Birth rates have been declining
• The total fertility rate is currently about 1.5 children per woman which is drastically below the replacement rate
• Infant mortality is at a record low at under 0.5%
• As women focus on careers, they delay having children, which also means they have less children
• Children are increasingly expensive to raise and estimated to cost over £150,000 from birth to 18th birthday
• Contraception and legalisation of abortion in 1969 means there are far less unwanted pregnancies
• Awareness of STIs has also led to wider use of contraception
• As infant mortality is so low, there is less need for women to have multiple children in case one dies
• There are fewer children in society, meaning the average age is higher
• The lack of children may create an imbalance in the dependency ratio
• Brannon says the beanpole family is growing because people are having less children but living longer
• It is easier for mothers to remain in work if they only have one child
• Smaller families are incentivised by the need for geographic mobility
• Choosing not to have children is no longer stigmatised, as more people value freedom over parenthood
• Children used to be an economic asset but with compulsory education are now an economic burden
• The replacement rate is 2.1
• Death rates are the rate of deaths per 1000 people
• Life expectancy is the average age someone can expect to live to
• The death rate has declined over time, though increased slightly with the COVID-19 pandemic
• Women tend to live slightly longer than men
• The creation of the NHS and welfare state means everyone has greater access to health services
• General improvements in medicine have also meant life threatening conditions can now be treated and delayed
• People tend to live healthier lifestyles and are more knowledgeable on how to do so
• Globalisation has meant a wide range of food is available to ensure a balanced diet
• There has been a huge decline in people who smoke compared to 100 years ago, meaning far less respiratory issues too
• Less and less jobs involve manual labour now, and there are increasing health and safety standards reducing danger and risk on job sites
• Overall people have become more affluent and standards of living have improved, meaning better housing and less mental strain
• There is a North-South divide for life expectancy, with people in the north expected to live shorter lives
• As people are living longer, the average age of the population is increasing
• The UK has an ageing population, meaning we are predicted to have an increasing number of older people with fewer younger people to support them
• A combination of declining fertility rates and increasing life expectancy means the population of over 65s is increasing faster than any other age group
• Key notes that there will be an increasing strain on social care for the elderly population
• The retirement age continues to increase meaning people must work longer for less time in retirement
• A grey market has emerged - where elderly people have disposable income and are a significant proportion of consumers, especially for the leisure and entertainment industry
• There is increasing awareness about old age and degenerative diseases, prompting more research
• The housing crisis is perpetuated by older people living in houses bigger than they need, removing these from the market when big families really need them
• Older people tend to be more conservative, meaning votes may skew to the right as they have more reason to be interested in short term policy rather than structural changes they will never see come into effect
• Grandparents take on parental responsibilities such as taxi services and childcare
• Migrants are more likely to be younger, which brings the average age down
• Eventually the baby boomer generation will pass on, and as they occupy such a large part of the population, this will see a drop in people in that age bracket