PRB

The State of Metropolitan America, by the Brookings Institution's Metropolitan Policy Program, identifies five demographic trends and developments that dominated the first decade of the 2000s in the 100 largest metro areas of the United States. Since the report covers the majority of the U.S. population—two-thirds of Americans live in the 100 largest metropolitan areas—it provides a preview of some of the long-term trends that will appear in the results of the 2010 Census. (August 2010)

Many countries are facing a shrinking pool of their working-age populations, often considered to be ages 15 to 64, to support the population ages 65 and older, jeopardizing pension guarantees and long-term health care programs for the elderly. The Population Reference Bureau's 2010 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information about country, regional, and global population patterns. (July 2010)

This e-newsletter is the 20th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Aging and the Health Care Workforce," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, and other research, on China's rapidly aging population. (July 2010)

This Population Bulletin is a companion to PRB's 2010 World Population Data Sheet and provides data and analysis on world population trends, youth dependency; old-age dependency; gender, employment, and dependency; and improved sanitation. (July 2009)

This e-newsletter is the 19th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Aging and the Health Care Workforce," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, and other research, on health care workforce issues. (June 2010)

During a PRB Discuss Online, Ron Lee, professor of demography and economics at the University of California-Berkeley, answered participants' questions about the trends in mortality and aging in the United States, and the implications of population aging on government entitlement programs and the U.S. economy. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (November 2008)

Disability in older Americans affects the entire population of the United States because of its impact on the level of health care spending, especially spending on long-term care. Disability also influences productivity: Individuals contribute to the U.S. economy longer if they are able to remain healthy and free of limitations that might affect their ability to work. Reducing disability among disadvantaged groups would result in more equal health outcomes and substantial savings in long-term care costs. (June 2010)

The most recent population projections for Japan provide a clear picture of the country's demographic future. As of April 2010, 23 percent of the population is 65 or older. By 2055, if projections prove true, 41 percent of the population will be 65 or older; total population would be around 90 million, down from 127 million today. (April 2010)

The current recession, the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, has contributed to a decline in consumer wealth, record unemployment, reduced incomes, and increased poverty. Data from the American Life Panel and the Health and Retirement Study chronicle effects of the recession on American households and older individuals. (March 2010)

Population growth has slowed in U.S. retirement destinations, despite the large cohort of baby boomers who have begun to reach retirement age, according to new population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Counties that should be seeing a rising influx of retirees have experienced slower growth—or even population loss—since the onset of the recession in 2007. The population slowdown is most pronounced in retirement magnets in the Northeast, Midwest, and parts of recession-hit Florida. (March 2010)

This e-newsletter is the 18th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "HIV/AIDS and Older Adults in the United States," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on aging and HIV/AIDS. (December 2009)

The NIA Demography and Economics of Aging Centers Program has been an important mechanism for promoting this research. Founded by NIA with supplemental support from the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research and the Fogarty Center at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the program has been instrumental in constructing critical databases, attracting and developing scholars, establishing international and interdisciplinary networks, and informing public policy. The program has expanded the demography and economics of aging rapidly in the United States, and now includes 14 Centers and more than 500 scientists. The program’s reach is global, with almost all 14 Centers involved in international projects, helping to develop the fields of demography and economics of aging in many countries. (November 2009)

The financial decisions facing older adults as they reach retirement age are increasingly more difficult. Even before recent financial crises brought into question the financial decisions made by individuals of all ages, cognitive aging patterns and the prevalence of dementia raised concerns about the ability of many older adults to manage their financial resources. Studies in behavioral economics and neuroeconomics have shed light on how individuals make decisions and have implications for the design of public and private pension plans and for management of chronic diseases. (October 2009)

Social and intimate connections change with age. These changes affect and are affected by health. Social connections come from a variety of sources—family and friends, shared living spaces, interaction with neighbors, and participation in community or religious organizations. For many people as they get older, their family structure changes as children leave home and spouses die. Also, as their friends die, the networks of older persons shrink. Many try to remain socially active through involvement with community organizations, church, and neighbors, but confronted with fewer and less intimate connections, older people may disengage from the social world. (October 2009)

During a PRB Discuss Online, David Bloom, economist and demographer at the Harvard School of Public Health, answered participants' questions about how trends in aging will affect labor forces and economic development. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (June 2009)

Men and women face distinct challenges in late life. Paradoxically, men tend to have shorter lives but women have more health problems at any given age. Addressing why women live longer but have more health problems and why men die earlier can help reduce health care and long-term care costs for the elderly and narrow the gender health gap. Toshiko Kaneda, Population Reference Bureau; Zachary Zimmer, University of Utah; and Xianghua Fang and Zhe Tang, Capital Medical University, examined a sample of older adults in Beijing to determine gender differences in health and mortality after a five-year period. (June 2009)

This e-newsletter is the 17th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Social Support, Networks, and Happiness," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the relationships between aging and social connections. (June 2009)

Over the last several decades, many industries have experienced significant structural changes that have affected their employees. The airline industry, for example, has faced major policy and economic forces that have changed the demography of its workers, especially its flight attendants. Flight attendants have become older compared with the overall U.S. workforce over the last several decades. The ongoing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants will age even more in the coming years as many workers are likely to postpone their retirement. (June 2009)

This e-newsletter is the 16th in a series funded by the University of Michigan Demography Center. This issue, "Effects of Early Life on Elderly Health," reviews research sponsored by the National Institute of Aging, and other research, on the effects of early life on adult and elderly health. (April 2009)

With continued population aging and increasing numbers of elderly, the loss of cognitive function among some older Americans foreshadows a potentially enormous social and economic burden on individuals, families, communities, and the nation. Three researchers present their findings on how education, income, better treatment of stroke and heart disease, and other factors affect the severe decline in cognitive ability among nearly 10 percent of U.S. elderly. (March 2009)