Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons^™

Behind The Numbers: A Traditional Church Faces A New America, Larry Vogel

Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation

The dissertation examines membership data for The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) from the mid-1970s to the present. It considers the analysis of LCMS decline by two scholars, George Hawley and Ryan MacPherson, who independently proposed that LCMS membership decline was internal in causation due to diminished birthrates and fewer young families. While acknowledging the reality of such internal decline, this dissertation argues that the lack of external growth is a greater cause for LCMS decline. Its lack of external growth is due primarily to the racial and ethnic homogeneity of the LCMS and its failure effectively to evangelize the increasingly …

Sociology: A Guide To Action Or To Analysis In The Global Climate Change Crisis? A Call For Action By The Social Sciences And The Humanities, Kim Scipes

Class, Race and Corporate Power

The debate over the purpose of sociological research has historically been one between Marx and Weber: is sociology’s role to analyze society (ala Weber) or to change it (Marx)?

The issue of climate change and environmental destruction is one that has been relegated to the margins of Sociology, being seen as an “environmental” issue. The changes we’ve seen so far, however, show how this has had and is having a major impact on human beings and, at least in the United States, is having a major impact on the culture of the country, both in general and specifically on different …

Population Gains Widespread In New Hampshire Counties Due To Migration, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this data snapshot, Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that the population of New Hampshire grew by 17,700 to 1,395,000 between April 2020, when the 2020 Census was conducted, and July 2022, according to new Census Bureau estimates. These population gains were widespread, occurring in each of the state’s ten counties despite deaths exceeding births in nine of the ten counties. The entire population gain accrued because 21,600 more people moved to the state than left it. The data underscore the continuing importance of migration to the state’s future. Such migration gains result both from attracting migrants to the state …

Montana Voices Amplified: My Perspective: How To Help When You Don't Know How To Help, Elizabeth Hill, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Someone you care about is in serious crisis. How can you support them in their time of need? What should you say? (What shouldn't you say?) Elizabeth Hill, a writer and mom of a child with a genetic condition, explains how to help someone who is struggling, and the myriad ways her own family has been supported by the caring and giving of others.

"Patiently Waiting": How Do Non-Driving Disabled Adults Get Around In Rural America, Rtc: Rural, Krys Standley, Andrew Myers

Independent Living and Community Participation

Poster presentation exploring interviews with rural people with disabilities who rely solely on rides from others or public transportation.

How Texas Migration Patterns Changed During The Pandemic, Pia M. Orrenius, Madeline Zavodny

Mission Foods Texas-Mexico Center Research

The Covid-19 pandemic led to changes in where Americans work and live. The pandemic also affected international migration as borders were closed to nonessential travel and consulates shut down, slowing visa processing. These changes had implications for Texas, a state that has traditionally experienced large-scale domestic and international migration. This project also talks about the factors that positioned Texas to benefit from pandemic-induced changes in domestic migration patterns.

New Census Data Reflect The Continuing Impact Of Covid On U.S. Demographic Trends, Kenneth M. Johnson

The Carsey School of Public Policy at the Scholars' Repository

In this brief, Senior Demographer Kenneth Johnson reports that, according to recent Census Bureau estimates, the U.S. population has grown at the slowest rate in history in the past two years due to the impact of Covid. Deaths exceeded births in 75 percent of all U.S. counties, far more than at any point in the past. Most of the modest population gain was due to migration, and its extent varied along the rural-urban continuum. Looking ahead, the size and distribution of future population gains remain uncertain. As the impact of the pandemic wanes, the excess of births over deaths is …

Perceptions Of Tourism And Quality Of Life: A Case Study In Savannah, Georgia, Marissa J. Renee

Honors College Theses

The World Travel and Tourism Council estimates that Travel and Tourism accounted for 10.3% of the world economy in 2019 and ¼ of all net new jobs over the past five years. Savannah, Georgia has experienced huge growth in the last decade due to tourism, with visitor spending on lodging alone increasing from $466 million in 2009 to $1 billion in 2019. The current study examined differences in perceived impact of tourism on quality of life using established predictors of tourism sentiments. An online community survey was conducted in Chatham County, Georgia (N = 94) using the Tourism Quality of …

Investigating Moderation In The Prospective Relationship Of Marijuana Use To Subsequent Illicit Substance Use: Evidence From Add Health, Radhika Prasad, Ming Wen, Zobayer Ahmmad, Daniel Adkins

Health Behavior Research

While socially normalized substances (e.g., marijuana) may increase the probability of subsequent progression to more harmful illicit substances, previous empirical research on the topic has yielded inconsistent results. Few studies have prospectively examined whether age of first documented current marijuana use is related to later harmful illicit substance use over multiple life course stages, or considered potential moderation of the process by age of first documented current marijuana use, gender, or race/ethnicity. To investigate this topic, data from five waves the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult (N=20,774), spanning ages 12-42, were used to analyze the prospective association of …

Counties With Higher Prescription Opioid Presence Have Slower Student Learning Rates, Jessica Drescher, Carrie Townley-Flores

Population Health Research Brief Series

The adverse impacts of the U.S. opioid crisis have been documented in many domains, but surprisingly little attention has been directed to understanding how the opioid crisis has affected children’s educational outcomes. This brief shows that students in counties with high levels of opioid prescribing are learning more slowly over time than their peers in counties with low levels of opioid prescribing. In addition to directing more support to schools, the authors advocate for policies that address the underlying social conditions that lead to prescription opioid misuse.

U.S. Counties With Higher Drug Overdose Rates Have Lower School Test Scores, Rajeev Darolia, Sam Owens, John Tyler

Population Health Research Brief Series

The impacts of the contemporary U.S. drug overdose crisis on child and family wellbeing have been profound. This brief describes the link between county-level opioid overdose rates and children’s test scores, finding that counties with higher overdose rates have lower average 3^rd and 8th-grade test scores than counties with lower overdose rates. The relationship between higher overdose rates and lower test scores is particularly strong in rural counties. The places with the highest overdose rates and lowest test scores tend to be economically-disadvantaged, suggesting that economic investments may be needed to address the issue.

Which Demographic Groups And Which Places Have The Highest Drug Overdose Rates In The U.S.?, Shannon M. Monnat

Population Health Research Brief Series

Although the drug overdose crisis has affected all demographic groups and places in the United States, overdose rates are much higher in some sub-populations and places than others. This brief describes demographic and geographic differences in fatal drug overdose rates from 1999-2020. Throughout most of this period, fatal drug overdose rates were highest among young and middle-aged adult White and Native American males and middle-aged and older Black males. Rates have been consistently highest in Appalachia, but in recent years have spread throughout several regions in urban and rural areas alike. Although opioids have been the main contributor, cocaine- and …

Prevalence And Factors Associated With Teenage Pregnancy In Sierra Leone: Evidence From A Nationally Representative Demographic And Health Survey Of 201, Lilian Nuwabaine, Quraish Sserwanja, Kassim Kamara, Milton W. Musaba

School of Nursing & Midwifery, East Africa

Background

Globally, teenage pregnancy remains a public health concern because of the associated maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality. To address the extensive social, political and economic effects of teenage pregnancy, there is a need for current epidemiological evidence on its prevalence and associated factors, especially from low-resource settings where the burden is highest.

Methods

We used data from the 2019 Sierra Leone Demographic and Health Survey (SLDH), which included 3,427 female adolescents. Multistage stratified sampling was used to select study participants. Teenage pregnancy was defined as those who had ever either had a child, or terminated a pregnancy, or …

Outcome Measurement Toolkit: A Resource For Centers For Independent Living, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and advisory groups provide a toolkit designed to help Center for Independent Living (CIL) administrators learn practices for measuring, evaluating, and improving outcomes generated by their CIL’s programs. This document is an adaptation of the Outcome Measures for Centers for Independent Living training, created with permission from Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU).

Creating A Resource Map With Google My Maps, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers provide a step-by-step tutorial for creating a community living resource map using Google My Maps.

State Covid-19 Policies That Restricted In-Person Interaction And Provided Economic Support Saved Lives During The First Year Of The Pandemic, Yue Sun, Erin Bisesti

Population Health Research Brief Series

States varied dramatically in their implementation of policies to mitigate coronavirus spread and provide financial safety nets to residents who may have been struggling with the pandemic’s economic fallout. These differences may have contributed to variations in COVID-19 mortality rates between states. This brief summarizes the results of a recent study examining how U.S. states’ COVID-19 policies were related to COVID-19 mortality rates from April to December 2020. The findings show that states that enacted policies restricting in-person interaction and providing economic support to residents had lower COVID-19 death rates than states without these policies. Over 29,000 lives could have …

: Changing Education And Workforce Demographics Impacting Nebraska, Josie Gatti Schafer

Presentations

Information on changing education and workforce demographics.

Summit Snapshot: Rural Personal Assistance Services, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and panels of individuals with lived experience present research and perspectives on rural personal assistance services at the 2023 Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit.

Montana Voices Amplified: My Perspective: Living And Grieving In Faith, Briella Wilson, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

Briella Wilson lost her brother, Weston, when she was in the 3rd grade and has worked hard to overcome her grief. Her contribution to Montana Voices Amplified shares the importance of faith in negotiating grief.

Summit Snapshot: Rural Digital Access, University Of Montana Rural Institute

Independent Living and Community Participation

RTC:Rural researchers and panels of individuals with lived experience present research and perspectives on rural digital access at the 2023 Rural Disability Research and Practice Summit.