Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

Beliefs About Development Versus Environmental Tradeoffs In The Puget Sound Region, Thomas G. Safford, Matthew Cutler, Megan M. Henly, Karma Norman, Phillip Levin

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet outlines residents’ views about the importance of environmental protection as well as their opinions about energy development, protection of wild salmon, and land use regulation. Seventy-four percent of Puget Sound residents believe that protecting the environment should be a priority even if it means limiting economic growth. The majority of residents favor both increased use of renewable energy (82 percent) and protecting wild salmon (75 percent). Residents are more divided about curbing development, with those from rural areas being more apt to prioritize …

Public Perceptions Of Environmental Management In The Puget Sound Region, Thomas G. Safford, Matthew Cutler, Megan M. Henly, Karma Norman, Phillip Levin

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet describes public perceptions of different environmental interventions. Puget Sound residents widely support a range of proposed interventions designed to protect and restore the marine environment. These proposals include restricting boating and shipping activities to protect marine mammals such as killer whales and sea lions; more strongly enforcing existing environmental rules and regulations; spending government money to restore the environment for fish and wildlife; and providing tax credits to businesses that voluntarily reduce their environmental impact. Residents are divided about whether existing environmental regulations …

Urban-Rural Differences In Concern About The Environment And Jobs In The Puget Sound Region, Thomas G. Safford, Matthew Cutler, Megan M. Henly, Karma Norman, Phillip Levin

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Using data from a phone survey of 1,980 Puget Sound residents conducted in 2012, this fact sheet examines the severity of different environmental problems and compares the strength of concern about the lack of jobs and beliefs about the environment. Too few jobs and the loss of wildlife habitat were the two community issues most likely to be ranked as important problems among residents of Puget Sound. Environmental concern is higher among urban than rural residents, while those in rural areas are more likely than urbanites to believe the lack of jobs is a threat to their community.

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New Hampshire Demographic Trends In The Twenty-First Century, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief summarizes current population redistribution trends in the Granite State and shows how fertility, mortality, and migration contributed to these trends. According to the 2010 census, New Hampshire gained 80,700 residents (a 6.5 percent increase) between 2000 and 2010, mostly during the earlier years of the decade. Migration contributed 35,400 to the population gain, and the excess of births over deaths accounted for 45,300. Author Ken Johnson reports that New Hampshire currently does not have a large population of seniors, but a rapid increase in the older population is inevitable and coming soon.

Demographic Change In The Northern Forest, Kenneth M. Johnson, Susan I. Stewart, Miranda H. Mockrin

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief examines the population redistribution in the Northern Forest, which includes thirty-four counties scattered across northern and central Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. Authors Ken Johnson, Susan Stewart, and Miranda Mockrin report that the population of the Northern Forest grew modestly between 2000 and 2010, and the population gains were greatest in recreational areas and least in manufacturing areas. Racial and ethnic diversity is also growing in the Northern Forest, and the population is getting older due to aging in place among current residents and net outmigration among younger populations.

Rural Demographic Change In The New Century: Slower Growth, Increased Diversity, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief examines rural demographic trends in the first decade of the twenty-first century using newly available data from the 2010 Census. The rural population grew by just 2.2 million between 2000 and 2010—a gain barely half as great as that during the 1990s. Population growth was particularly slow in farming and mining counties and sharply reduced in rural manufacturing counties. Rural population gains were largest in high-amenity counties and just beyond the metropolitan fringe. Diversity accelerated in rural America, with racial and ethnic minorities accounting for 83 percent of rural population growth between 2000 and 2010.

Natural Decrease In America: More Coffins Than Cradles, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief summarizes recent regional patterns of natural decrease in the United States. Natural decrease occurs when more deaths than births occur in an area in a given year. The growing incidence of natural decrease has gone largely unnoticed, yet natural decrease is no longer an isolated phenomenon occurring in a few remote corners of the country. Last year, 24 percent of all U.S. counties experienced natural decrease. And, for the first time in U.S. history, deaths now exceed births in an entire state. Author Ken Johnson discusses the implications of natural decrease, as well as the impact of the …

Environmental, Economic, And Social Changes In Rural America Visible In Survey Data And Satellite Images, Joel N. Hartter, Chris R. Colocousis

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This brief focuses on the changing landscapes of different types of rural America where social, economic, and ecological changes are occurring over large areas: the Northern Forest, Central Appalachia, and the Pacific Northwest. These three study sites embody varying historical reliance on land and natural resources and represent very different socioeconomic dynamics. Their common and unique challenges are explored, along with the far-reaching implications of land-cover change in their areas. Data used includes both telephone surveys and satellite imagery to illustrate the unique changes seen in rural America in recent years. (Please note that it is best to print this …

Recent Highlights From Carsey Demographic Research, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Carsey Institute Child Nutrition Briefings, Washington, DC

Older Americans Working More, Retiring Less, Anne M. Shattuck

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This Carsey brief finds that the percentage of Americans age 65 and older remaining in the labor force continues to grow steadily in urban, suburban, and rural areas. In 2009, 22 percent of older men and 13 percent of older women were still working compared to 17 percent of men and 9 percent of women in 1995. Moreover, increasing percentages of older workers hold full-time, full-year jobs.

Rural Children - Rural Communities, William P. O'Hare

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Carsey Institute Child Nutrition Briefings, Washington, DC

How Yoopers See The Future Of Their Communities: Why Residents Leave Or Stay In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Jessica D. Ulrich

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

According to a Community and Environment in Rural America survey, Michigan's Upper Peninsula residents, often called "Yoopers," said that ties to community and the area's natural beauty were significant factors for those who planned on staying in this rural area, which comprises about a third of Michigan's land mass but only 4 percent of its population. Those planning on leaving cited employment opportunities and energy costs as the most important factors in their decision.

Challenges In Resource Rich Communities: Finding The Path To Redevelopment, Cynthia M. Duncan

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Northern Forest Higher Education Resource Network Annual Meeting

The Changing Faces Of America's Children And Youth, Kenneth M. Johnson, Daniel T. Lichter

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates indicate that between July 2008 and July 2009, 48.6 percent of the 4 million children born in the United States were minorities. In contrast, nearly 60 percent of the children born ten years ago were non-Hispanic white. This rapid change demonstrates that America's youth are at the forefront of the country's rapidly shifting demographic makeup. This brief reveals the factors causing this increase in the proportion of minority births.

New Hampshire Demographic Trends Reflect Impact Of The Economic Recession, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Between July 2008 and July 2009, more people left New Hampshire than moved to it, reversing a trend of domestic migration that had fueled the state's population growth over the past decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau data in released March 2010. This fact sheet summarizes the data.

Rural Areas Risk Being Overlooked In 2010 Census, William P. O'Hare

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

This issue brief describes how the census is conducted in rural areas, identifies some of the most difficult rural areas to count, and highlights what organizations are doing to ensure a more accurate census count in rural America. It also points out that undercounting by the census can lead to communities not receiving a fair share of federal funding.

New Hampshire's Population Exceeds Maine's For The First Time In 200 Years, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

For the first time in more than 200 years, the population of New Hampshire exceeded that of Maine. As of July 1, 2009, U.S. Census Bureau estimates New Hampshire's population at 1,324,575 compared to 1,318,301 in Maine. New Hampshire grew faster than Maine over the last decade. Since 2000, New Hampshire gained 89,000 new residents compared to Maine's 43,000.

Increased Reliance On Wives As Breadwinners During The First Year Of The Recession, Kristin Smith

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Among low-income families, the wages of employed wives account for the majority of family earnings, according to this Carsey brief. The analysis finds that in 2008, women contributed 56 percent of total family earnings, up from 51 percent in 2007. Also, husbands' education level and race are factors in how much wives contribute to family earnings.

Demographic Trends In The Manchester-Nashua Metropolitan Area, Kenneth M. Johnson, Robert Macieski

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In the city of Manchester, New Hampshire, 25 percent of children live below the poverty line, a high rate that is in stark contrast to the state's rate of just 10 percent, one of the nation's lowest. That is the most surprising finding from this new analysis of demographic trends in the Manchester-Nashua metropolitan area. The brief presents recent demographic shifts in Manchester, Nashua, and suburban Hillsborough County alongside historical perspectives of the region.

With Less Migration, Natural Increase Is Now More Important To State Growth, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

According to Johnson's analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, the nation continues to experience reduced levels of domestic migration (movement from one state to another) as a result of the economic recession, and natural increases (births versus deaths) are an increasingly important factor in population gains.

Rural Children Are More Likely To Live In Cohabiting-Couple Households, William P. O'Hare, Wendy Manning, Meredith Porter, Heidi Lyons

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

As cohabiting increases nationwide, new data show that the growing rate of children in these households is most pronounced in rural areas. This brief analyzes recent U.S. Census Bureau data to explore these trends and patterns.

Grey Gold: Do Older In-Migrants Benefit Rural Communities?, Nina Glasgow, David L. Brown

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Older Americans retiring to rural areas quickly integrate in their new communities and bring significant social and intellectual capital to those communities, finds a new issue brief from the Carsey Institute. The brief is among the few studies to consider social rather than economic impacts of older in-migration to rural areas.

A Profile Of New Hampshire's Foreign-Born Population, Ross Gittell, Timothy Lord

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

At the turn of the 20th century, New Hampshire had over 88,000 foreign-born persons, over 15,000 more than it has today. In 1900, the state's concentration of foreign born (21 percent) was higher than the average percentage and more than three times the current percentage of 6 percent in the state. In 1900, New Hampshire ranked 15th of all states in percentage of the foreign-born population. As of 2008, New Hampshire ranks 26th out of the 50 states.

Population Growth In New Hispanic Destinations, Kenneth M. Johnson, Daniel T. Lichter

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

Natural increase—more births than deaths—is now the major engine of Hispanic population growth in many large metro areas and their suburbs, as well as numerous smaller metropolitan areas and rural communities. Hispanics now account for half of U.S. population growth, and Hispanic population growth is the reason many communities grew instead of declined.

The Changing Faces Of New Hampshire: Recent Demographic Trends In The Granite State, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

New Hampshire, with a total population of 1.3 million, gained 79,000 residents between 2000 and 2006. Most of this growth (51,000 residents) came from migration. The migration also brought economic gains: New Hampshire gained at least $1.4 billion in income from migration between 2001 and 2005, and households moving in earned nearly $9,000 more than those leaving.