Demography

Demography is the study of variables such as age, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, education, social class, and political preference in different population segments. Biological, economical, societal, and political characteristics determine an individual's demographic categories, which can be used as cues for understanding social interactions and furthering various types of research.

Cultural studies argue that whether an individual is younger or older, male or female, white or of color, well educated or uneducated, poor or wealthy determines how that individual thinks and behaves as well as the expectations others have of that individual in various contexts. Governments and survey research organizations, such as the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) and Census Scope, study population trends and lifestyles to predict demographic changes. Cultural differences among various demographic segments of populations can be compared both nationally and internationally. Besides factual and cultural observations, relationships or causations between demographic elements and possible consequences can also be studied.

In both the social and hard sciences, theories on causations have either centrally focused on demographic characteristics or have used demographics as control variables. The University of California at Berkley's Department of Demography, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania have [Page 180]a long history of population studies focusing on demography. In addition, journals such as Demography cover population science across disciplines including geography, history, biology, statistics, business, epidemiology, and public health.

Demography is usually treated ontologically. In biology and epidemiology, for example, age, gender, ethnicity, and social class are important factors that determine chemical and medical reactions. In social science, political predispositions and societal characteristics are necessary determinants for behavioral consequences. Particularly in sociology, politics, and communication studies, all demographic characteristics are used as mediating factors.

In political communication, scholarship deals with demographic causational relations. Some examples of studies conducted include how age affects cynicism about politics, the relationship between religion and political affiliation, the relationship between education and political activism, attitudes toward opposing parties, and how men and women react differently to political candidates and political platforms like national defense, foreign relations, affirmative action, and education.

Studies have found, for example, that younger people are more likely to be cynical and less informed about politics and that females generally perceive or react to political issues differently than males and are often less opinionated about political candidates and issues. Furthermore, studies show that men see defense, foreign relations, and strong politics as important, whereas women think issues such as affirmative action and education supersede the current national agenda.

Furthermore, studies have found that religious people tend to be more active in political events than people who have weak or no religious beliefs and are more likely to be Republicans. More educated individuals are more likely to be politically active, get their information from various sources, and have a greater desire to learn. Individuals who are affiliated with a strong political party tend to not listen to information from incongruent opinion groups or other parties.