Demography is a hot topic these days…from the impact of population composition on the US elections (and Obama’s victory), to the broader economic and labour force implications, as well as to continual questions about resource allocation in a world of more than 7 billion. The 2010-2011 round census results are being published in several countries (or in the case of Myanmar, the census is still being planned), and thus contributing fresh numbers to the complex discussion about population change. Ageing and low fertility are of concern in many European populations, but seemingly endless population growth troubles numerous African countries.

This blog focuses on the demographic processes that occur across the globe, and the implications that today’s population-related decisions might have for tomorrow. One of our prime interests is to communicate the results of population research, while dispelling common misconceptions. It is often suggested that demographic changes are caused by historical happenings, or economic and societal events. Alongside this viewpoint we are keen to discuss the reverse relationship, namely how demographic processes have impacted social, political, and economic development, as well as individuals’ daily lives.

Since the contributors come from various countries and backgrounds, the blog will consider the demographic trends of diverse geographic areas, highlighting the similarities and differences that occur. Demotrends wants to provide you with a fresh look at things. We hope to gather together useful and stimulating information from every corner of population research. Our contributors will discuss reports, comment and analysis, including demography in the media. Since demography is very much connected to other disciplines, we will include publications and research results from other fields (like population genetics, history and anthropology).

Demotrends bloggers are specialists in different demographic topics and methodologies. We will try to provide insightful comments wherever possible. However, we do not consider ourselves as truth prophets, (actually quite the contrary!), and we hope for constructive feedback and discussion from our readers (please use the comments section under each post, or alternatively please contact us at demotrendsblog@gmail.com).

For those of you who use other social media channels, you may like to follow our feed on Twitter or Facebook, which is the genesis of this blog. The whole thing started from a desire to organize all of the demographic and population-related information out there in the world. While doing this, it seemed worthwhile to disseminate the information to a wider interested public like other researchers, journalists, students, or policymakers. This is why the Twitter account was initiated, but a space of 140 characters often limits communication, so this is where our blog comes in…

So here it is – the first Demotrends blog post – in front of you, after months of consideration and planning. We look forward to an interesting future, which will hopefully bring fruitful returns to us all! Stay tuned for the next post…which IS coming soon 🙂