Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

Montana Voices Amplified: My Perspective: Rediscovering Museums With Tactile Tours, Sara Streeter, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

A tactile tour is just what it sounds like—a tour that gives a visually impaired patron an opportunity to touch museum exhibits themselves or small models of some of the items on display. This Montana Voices Amplified submission shares tactile tour tips.

“We Planted Rice And Killed People:” Symbiogenetic Destruction In The Cambodian Genocide, Andrew Woolford, Wanda June, Sereyvothny Um

Genocide Studies and Prevention: An International Journal

In recent years, genocide scholars have given greater attention to the dangers posed by climate change for increasing the prevalence or intensity of genocide. Challenges related to forced migration, resource scarcity, famine, and other threats of the Anthropocene are identified as sources of present and future risk, especially for those committed to genocide prevention. We approach the connection between the natural and social aspects of genocide from a different angle. Our research emanates out of a North American Indigenous studies and new materialist rather than Euro-genocide studies framework, meaning we see the natural and the social (or cultural) as inseparable, …

Reporting Of Eating Disorder Deaths, Katherine Mobley, Amy Hord

Symposium of Student Scholars

Those affected by eating disorders experience disturbances in eating behaviors which are often related to underlying psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (Parekh, 2017, Drieberg et al., 1998 p.53). The duplicitous nature of the disorder makes it difficult to diagnose, and the tole it takes on an individual’s physical health makes its mortality rate the second highest among psychiatric disorders (Guinhut et al., 2021 p.130). Even if the correct education and resources are accessible to certain individuals, negative stigmatization about the disorder can make sufferers unlikely to seek help (Becker et al., 2010). Findings from analysis of …

Looking Back, Looking Forward: Progress And Prospect For Spatial Demography, Stephen A. Matthews, Laura Stiberman, James Raymer, Tse-Chuan Yang, Ezra Gayawan, Sayambhu Saita, Sai Thein Than Tun, Daniel M. Parker, Deborah Balk, Stefan Leyk, Mark Montgomery, Katherine J. Curtis, David W. S. Wong

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Research Trends In Amish Population Health, A Growing Literature About A Growing Rural Population, Cory Anderson, Lindsey Potts

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The Amish are an endogamous rural population experiencing rapid growth; consequently, they have attracted the attention of population health researchers and service providers. With approximately one quarter of all Amish studies publications now devoted to population health (n=246), the time is ripe to review research trends. Using bibliometric measures, we map the genealogy, influence, and configuration of Amish health publications. Amish population health research has (1) a health culture-focused core with clusters representing social science and health practice, (2) peripheral clusters addressing health conditions–mental, physical, and injury/safety–and (3) several clusters straddling both. We identify fruitful interdisciplinary studies and recommend researchers …

An Inferentially Robust Look At Two Competing Explanations For The Surge In Unauthorized Migration From Central America, Nick Santos

Dissertations

The last 8 years have seen a dramatic increase in the flow of Central American apprehensions by the U.S. Border Patrol. Explanations for this surge in apprehensions have been split between two leading hypotheses. Most academic scholars, immigrant advocates, progressive media outlets, and human rights organizations identify poverty and violence (the Poverty and Violence Hypothesis) in Central America as the primary triggers responsible. In contrast, while most government officials, conservative think tanks, and the agencies that work in the immigration and border enforcement realm admit poverty and violence may underlie some decisions to migrate, they instead blame lax U.S. immigration …

7.6 Million Fewer Births And Still Counting, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this data snapshot, author Kenneth Johnson reports that new data for 2020 show a 3.8 percent decline in births since 2019 and the fewest since 1979. There were 16.5 percent fewer births last year than in 2007, just before the Great Recession began to influence births. The cumulative effect of this sustained decline in births means over 7.6 million fewer babies were born in the last 13 years than might have been expected. This is unlikely to change in the short-term because of the pandemic’s adverse impact on fertility.

A critical long-term question is: how many births are being …

State Of Mississippi And Counties Population Components Of Change, 2020, Jamiko Deleveaux

Population Briefs

The U.S. Census Bureau released the 2020 Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties and County Equivalents in the United States. This annual vintage release of Mississippi’s 82 counties and county equivalents population estimates follows the release of the 2020 Census national and state total populations. The data used to compile the population estimates come from various sources such as the previous decennial census, vital records (births and deaths), and the Internal Revenue Service.

Deaths Exceeded Births In A Record Number Of States In 2020, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this data snapshot, author Kenneth Johnson reports that in 2020, the impact of COVID-19 contributed to a record 3,376,000 deaths in the United States: 18 percent more than in 2019. In addition, births diminished by 4 percent to 3,605,000 in 2020. The surplus of births over deaths added just 229,000 to the population in 2020 compared to 892,000 in 2019: a decline of 74 percent.

This decline coupled with diminished immigration produced the United States’ smallest annual population gain in at least 100 years. Deaths exceeded births in 25 states in 2020, far more than in any previous year.

County-Level Factors That Influenced The Trajectory Of Covid-19 Incidence In The New York City Area, Ashley Wendell Kranjac, Dinko Kranjac

Sociology Faculty Articles and Research

More than a century of research has shown that sociodemographic conditions affect infectious disease transmission. In the late spring and early summer of 2020, reports of the effects of sociodemographic variables on the spread of COVID- 19 were used in the media with minimal scientific proof attached. With new cases of COVID-19 surging in the United States at that time, it became essential to better understand how the spread of COVID-19 was varying across all segments of the population. We used hierarchical exponential growth curve modeling techniques to examine whether community socioeconomic characteristics uniquely influence the incidence of reported COVID-19 …

Socializing Vacancy: An Architectural Thesis, Greg Winawer

Architecture Senior Theses

A large portion of office space has been left vacant, and thus provides no beneficial program to its remaining occupants or the local urbanity it is surrounded by. When considering what can be done with this vacant space, the primary motivation should be to integrate a program which does the opposite: a program which positively disrupts its existing context to hybridize and improve the current outdated programmatic arrangement. To insert a residential program into an existing office tower both disrupts and enhances the rigorous flows of our working and our domestic lives. The predefined universal concept of the ‘working-day’ is …

Latinos In Brooklyn: Demographic And Socioeconomic Transformations In Sunset Park/Windsor Terrace And Bushwick, 1990-2017, Sejung Sage Yim

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report examines the key demographic and socioeconomic trends in Brooklyn, New York between 1990 and 2017. The report focuses on the two community districts that have the first- and second- largest Latino populations in the borough: Bushwick (community district 4) and Sunset Park/Windsor Terrace (community district 7).

Methods:

This report uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa, (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml). See Public Use Microdata Series Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, …

“They’Re Bringing Drugs... They’Re Bringing Crime... They’Re Rapists”: Exploring Latino Immigration, Crime, And Voting Patterns In The 2016 Presidential Election, Brogan Estelle Arguelles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The political race for the 2016 United States President brimmed with conflict over an array of issues, notably Latino immigration from Mexico and Latin America to the U.S. The rhetoric of then Presidential Candidate Donald Trump centered around the idea that Mexico was not sending its finest immigrants; that, in place, they were sending rapists and criminals. This rhetoric was heard loud and clear and has since affected various U.S. policies and programs that actively exclude Latino immigrants. Using census data from 2015, rates of immigration and rates of violent crime were compared against 2016 election results, all at the …

The Violence Of Asylum: The Case Of Undocumented Chinese Migration To The Us, Amy Hsin, Sofya Aptekar

Publications and Research

A sizable portion of the undocumented population in the US is Chinese, yet they are an understudied group. We integrate a multidisciplinary body of work on undocumented Chinese migration with the sociology of migration and analyze interviews with undocumented migrants, community organizers, social workers, and others working in the Chinese community in New York City, as well as participant observation of community events. We show that restrictive immigration policies exclude most Chinese migrants from legal entry into the US, force many to endure dangerous migration routes, incur extraordinary debt and bind Chinese migrants’ experience of illegality with asylum seeking. The …

Mapping Renewal: How An Unexpected Interdisciplinary Collaboration Transformed A Digital Humanities Project, Elise Tanner, Geoffrey Joseph

Digital Initiatives Symposium

Funded by a National Endowment for Humanities (NEH) Humanities Collections and Reference Resources Foundations Grant, the UA Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture’s “Mapping Renewal” pilot project focused on creating access to and providing spatial context to archival materials related to racial segregation and urban renewal in the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, from 1954-1989. An unplanned interdisciplinary collaboration with the UA Little Rock Arkansas Economic Development Institute (AEDI) has proven to be an invaluable partnership. One team member from each department will demonstrate the Mapping Renewal website and discuss how the collaborative process has changed and shaped …

2020 Census Reflects Lagging U.S. Population Growth, Kenneth M. Johnson

Carsey Publications

In this brief, author Kenneth Johnson reports that the first data from the 2020 Census reveal a significant slowdown in U.S. population growth. Population change varied considerably from state to state. Fourteen states had population gains exceeding 10 percent, 20 had population gains of less than 5 percent, and 3 lost population. States’ population changes were influenced both by migration and the balance between births and deaths.

Looking ahead, the short-term prospects for substantial population increase appear limited. Even aside from the COVID-19-related deaths following the April 2020 Census, mortality is likely to rise among an aging U.S. population and …

We Exist Series 1: Family - Quotes, Lance Gibbs Phd

Series 1: Family - Quotes

In this section, we have selected quotes that represent how Black residents in Maine view their family life. The quotes are taken from transcripts of the oral history project “Home Is Where I Make It”: African American Community and Activism in Greater Portland, Maine.” The interview subjects are all native to Maine or are longtime residents of Maine. The original intent of the “Home Is Where I Make It” project was to highlight Black residents’ history and struggle for community in southern Maine in both their formal organizational memberships and day-to-day activities. The interviews, however, unearthed a wealth …

Economic Change, The Death Of The Coal Industry, And Migration Intentions In Rural Colorado, Usa, Adam Mayer

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Significant portions of the rural U.S. are struggling with out-migration and subsequent population loss. The U.S. energy system is also undergoing a very fundamental transition with the marked decline of the coal industry and the growth of natural gas and renewables. Although the collapse of coal holds many benefits in terms of public health and environmental quality, it could exacerbate problems of population loss. In this analysis, we evaluate how the pending collapse of the coal industry in western Colorado could influence migration intentions using survey data. We find that the decline of the coal industry likely has no substantive …

Data Collection In The Field: Lessons From Two Case Studies Conducted In Belize, Rico Kongsager

The Qualitative Report

There is a vast load of literature concerning how data collection can be conducted. This literature provides guidelines and recommendations on how data collection might be done, however, only a very limited part of this literature describes in detail how data actually are collected in the field. This paper is intended to be an example, where the methodology is explained in detail to assist and inspire other researchers, on their way to conduct interesting and important research. The data collection and fieldwork described in this paper were conducted to complete two case studies in Belize, Central America. The core of …

The Dominican Population Of The New York Metropolitan Region, 1970 - 2019, Laird W. Bergad

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This study focuses on the demographic and socioeconomic changes occurring within the Dominican population of the New York metropolitan area between 1970 and 2019. By 2019 Dominicans had become the largest Latino nationality in New York City having surpassed Puerto Ricans a decade earlier in sheer numbers.

Methods:

This report uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa, (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml). See Public Use Microdata Series Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew …

The Elder Index At Work: How A Data Resource Is Making A Difference In Service And Advocacy For Older Adults, Center For Social And Demographic Research On Aging, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Center for Social and Demographic Research on Aging Publications

The Elder Index is being put to work across the country. This compilation of articles describes some of this work. Successful campaigns to save important property tax relief programs in New Jersey and greatly expand Medicare Savings Programs access in Massachusetts, both rely on the Elder IndexTM to provide critical context and factual support. An area agency on aging in San Antonio uses the Elder Index to show how the rural cost of living for older adults in the vast ranching and farming counties surrounding the city isn’t the bargain some think. A legal advocacy organization in Washington State employs …

Increasing Substantive Fairness And Mitigating Social Costs In Eviction Proceedings: Instituting A Civil Right To Counsel For Indigent Tenants In Pennsylvania, Robin M. White

Dickinson Law Review (2017-Present)

The U.S. Constitution provides criminal defendants the right to a court-appointed attorney but gives no similar protection to civil litigants. Although federal law does not supply any categorical rights to counsel for civil litigants, all 50 states have instituted the right in at least one category of civil law that substantially impacts individuals’ rights. Since 2017, several U.S. cities have enacted such a right for tenants facing eviction. In so doing, these cities responded to American families’ increasing rent burden, the recent publication of nationwide eviction data, the sociological research concerning the impact of eviction, and the lack of procedural …

Employment Trends And Poverty Status: Men And Women In The New York City Metro Area Between 2000 And 2017, Sarah Kostecki

Center for Latin American, Caribbean, and Latino Studies

Introduction:

This report examines employment trends and poverty status among men and women aged 25-54 in the New York City metropolitan area. The report assesses the characteristics of these persons, while examining trends and differences in poverty status by sex, race/ethnicity, and across the five largest Latino nationalities.

Methods:

This report uses the American Community Survey PUMS (Public Use Microdata Series) data for all years released by the Census Bureau and reorganized for public use by the Minnesota Population Center, University of Minnesota, IPUMSusa, (https://usa.ipums.org/usa/index.shtml). See Public Use Microdata Series Steven Ruggles, J. Trent Alexander, Katie Genadek, Ronald Goeken, Matthew …

Montana Voices Amplified: A Parent’S Perspective: Plexiglass Butterflies – Lessons Learned At The Children’S Hospital, Elizabeth Hill, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

I used to be offended when someone would comment innocently, “I don’t know how you do it.” “It” being raising a child with special needs. Now, with a few more years of wisdom and empathy under my belt, I recognize the meaning and message behind their words.

An Interdisciplinary Approach To Community-Engaged Research Surrounding Lead In Drinking Water In The Mississippi Delta, Kristine L. Willett, Stephanie E. Showalter, Catherine M. Janasie, Josephine P. Rhymes, Kennedy Dickson, John J. Green

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

Childhood lead poisoning is a problem requiring interdisciplinary attention from toxicology, public health, social sciences, environmental law, and policy. In the U.S., Mississippi was ranked as one of the worst states for lead poisoning with limited childhood screening measures. We conducted community-engaged research by working with leaders in the largely rural Mississippi Delta region from 2016-2019 to collect household water samples and questionnaires and involve their communities in lead poisoning risk awareness and outreach. Drinking water from 213 homes was collected and analyzed for pH and lead concentrations. Highest lead concentrations were from households served by private wells, and detectable …

Under Whose Roof? Understanding The Living Arrangements Of Children In Doubled-Up Households, Hope Harvey, Rachel Dunifon, Natasha Pilkauskas

Public Policy and Administration Faculty Publications

A growing literature in family demography examines children's residence in doubled-up (shared) households with extended family members and nonkin. This research has largely overlooked the role of doubling up as a housing strategy, with “hosts” (householders) providing housing support for “guests” living in their home. Yet, understanding children's experiences in doubled-up households requires attention to host/guest status. Using the American Community Survey and Survey of Income and Program Participation, we identify the prevalence of children doubling up as hosts and guests in different household compositions (multigenerational, extended family, nonkin), show how this varies by demographic characteristics, and examine children's patterns …

Evaluating The Impact Of Governmental Partners On School Nutrition And Physical Activity Policies: A Survey Of Florida School Principals, Michael J. Swain, Glenn D. Israel

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

For decades, U.S. schools have implemented policies aimed at improving student nutrition and physical activity. Governmental agencies have led these efforts with funding and regulation, and implementation supported by health and agriculture agencies and university extension services at state and local levels. To understand the roles of these agencies in school health, and other factors leading to the implementation of school health policies, we surveyed school principals in Florida in 2018 on topics related to school nutrition and physical activity policies. Depending on the wellness policy, prevalence varied from 6 percent (Safe Routes to School) to 66 percent (wellness coordinator). …

New York State’S Counties Have Different Trends In Population Aging, Nader Mehri

Population Health Research Brief Series

The percentage of the population age 60+ is growing faster in NY than in the U.S. overall.

Gas Stations And The Wealth Divide: Analyzing Spatial Correlations Between Wealth And Fuel Branding, Jean-Carl Ende

Dissertations and Theses

The gasoline refining and sales industry has many peculiarities. One such oddity is a difference in sales, distribution and pricing between branded and unbranded gasolines. Although fuels leave the refinery a uniform commodity, branding determines entirely different marketing and pricing schemes, with entirely different volatility and risk premiums. In order to determine if this volatility is felt evenly across all wealth demographics, this study uses t-tests and CART models to analyze income, home value and other wealth-based indicators in the areas surrounding gas stations, to determine if there is a correlation between branding and wealth. The results show the wealth …

Mape-R: A Rescaled Measure Of Accuracy For Cross-Sectional Subnational Population Forecasts, David Swanson, Jeff Tayman, T. M. Bryan

Publications, Reports and Presentations

Accurately measuring a population and its attributes at past, present, and future points in time has been of great interest to demographers. Within discussions of forecast accuracy, demographers have often been criticized for their inaccurate prognostications of the future. Discussions of methods and data are usually at the centre of these criticisms, along with suggestions for providing an idea of forecast uncertainty. The measures used to evaluate the accuracy of forecasts also have received attention and while accuracy is not the only criterion advocated for evaluating demographic forecasts, it is generally acknowledged to be the most important. In this paper, …