Overview of Demographic Trends Shaping the Nation's Future (Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, May 3l, 1978).

Peter A. Morrison

Expert InsightsPublished 1978

Describes contemporary and forthcoming population trends: (1) U.S. population growth has slowed and a transition to stability appears to be under way. (2) Population growth will not slow uniformly everywhere and for every age group. The age range 35-44, for example, will increase sharply over the next two decades, while population in the pre-adolescent ages will decrease. (3) New migration patterns are rearranging population regionally and locally. (4) Uneven age distribution presages certain unavoidable changes affecting school and college enrollments and the demand for particular kinds of dwelling units. It is also modifying recipients and donors involved in the Social Security system. (5) Two-pay check families have increased sharply, and the trend is likely to advance. The way that young wives order their careers as mothers and income earners has changed fundamentally. (6) At present policymakers are not receiving the full benefit of demographic analysis which could assist Congress in understanding and acting on certain long-range problems. 27 pp.

Document Details

  • Copyright: RAND Corporation
  • Availability: Web Only
  • Year: 1978
  • Pages: 27
  • Document Number: P-6128

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Morrison, Peter A., Overview of Demographic Trends Shaping the Nation's Future (Testimony before the Joint Economic Committee, U.S. Congress, May 3l, 1978). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1978. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P6128.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.