Deck 3: Demography

Question 1

In 2013, the majority of the world's older people lived in

A) Asia.
B) Africa.
C) North America.
D) Europe.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The less developed nations make up ________ of the world's population.

A) 1/4
B) 1/2
C) 2/3
D) 9/10

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is not a measure that demographers use to determine population aging?

A) absolute number of older people
B) absolute number of younger people
C) the median age of the population
D) the increased proportion of older people

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Demographers use three measures to describe population. Which of the following is not a measure of population aging?

A) the absolute number of older people in a population
B) the median age of the population
C) the educational level of the population
D) the increased proportion of older people

Question 5

________ will produce an explosive growth in the number of older people in developing nations.

A) High fertility in the past
B) Low fertility in the future
C) Greater survival of older people
D) High fertility in the past and greater survival of older people in the present

Question 6

The United Nations reports that the developed nations will experience ________ in their proportions of older people.

A) decreases
B) increases
C) an increase followed by a decrease
D) a decrease followed by an increase

Question 7

Increased population aging will create ________ for developed nations in the future.

A) a catastrophe
B) poverty
C) new challenges and benefits
D) great wealth

Question 8

The less developed nations have

A) old populations with a large proportion of young people.
B) old populations with a small proportion of younger people.
C) young populations with a large proportion of older people.
D) young populations with a small proportion of older people.

Question 9

A(n) ________ will strain current social, health, and economic programs in developing nations in the future.

A) decrease in older people
B) increase in older people
C) increase in young children
D) decrease in young children

Question 10

An increasing older population in developed countries will ________ government pension and health care costs in the future.

A) increase
B) decrease
C) lower strain on
D) not effect

Question 11

________ today has the largest population of older people in the world.

A) The United States
B) Japan
C) China
D) Canada

Question 12

In developing nations, the combination of poor economics and increasing numbers of older people will result in

A) a disaster.
B) a stable situation.
C) more support from the developed nations.
D) strain on social, health, and economic programs.

Question 13

Researchers trace the rapid increase in population aging in China to a(n)

A) decrease in fertility rate.
B) increase in fertility rate.
C) increase in death rate.
D) decrease in death rate.

Question 14

The ability of a country to help its older people largely depends on its

A) economy.
B) educational institutions.
C) political institutions.
D) foreign policies.

Question 15

Sokolovsky (2000) concludes that systems of support for older people work best when they

A) offer public support.
B) develop a Western style of social security.
C) take the form of a European-style national pension system.
D) fit into the local economic and cultural systems.

Question 16

The United Nations (2013a) predicts that by the year 2050, over ________ of the population of developed nations will be over the age of 60.

A) 1/4
B) 1/3
C) 2/3
D) 3/4

Question 17

The two pillars of the Japanese social security system are

A) a national pension plan and universal health insurance.
B) a national pension plan and an educational plan.
C) health insurance and an economic plan.
D) health care and depopulation.

Question 18

Mass retirement in Japan in the next few years poses a threat to Japan's prosperity. Proposed changes that might solve this problem do not include

A) decreasing the birth rate.
B) raising the retirement age.
C) encouraging women to enter the labor force.
D) allowing more immigrant labor.

Question 19

According to Laslett, the large numbers of older people in the world today "remains irreducibly novel." This calls for

A) imitation.
B) invention.
C) remaking the past.
D) population control.

Question 20

Population aging presents challenges to the developed nations which include all but one of the following:

A) higher costs for pensions
B) more chronic disease
C) more acute disease
D) increased health care services

Question 21

In 2014, older people accounted for over __% of the total population of the United States.

A) 7
B) 15
C) 43
D) 69

Question 22

An increase in the median age of a society means that the

A) population has gotten older.
B) population has gotten younger.
C) age of the population has not changed.
D) age of the population has gotten significantly younger.

Question 23

Gerontologists most often use the proportion of people age ________ as a measure of population aging.

A) 65 and under
B) 65 and over
C) 75 and under
D) 75 and over

Question 24

The proportion of people age 65 and over measures the

A) amount of government spending on seniors.
B) relationship between the number of retired people and those still working.
C) relationship of the older group and the rest of society.
D) amount of people who retire.

Question 25

According to Hetzel and Smith (2001), by the year 2050, older people will make up about __% of the population.

A) 10
B) 20
C) 40
D) 50

Question 26

Gerontologists use the proportion of people aged 65 and over in a population to

A) assess the impact on social life.
B) assess the impact on social life and to project changes.
C) project changes.
D) discourage illegal immigration.

Question 27

The demographics of a population can change in ________ ways.

A) 5
B) 6
C) 8
D) 3

Question 28

The major causes of population changes are

A) migration, birth rates, and death rates.
B) migration, birth rates, and suicides.
C) birth rates, death rates, and suicide.
D) disasters, death rates, and migration.

Question 29

Demographers study all but one of the following to understand population aging:

A) migration
B) death rates
C) educational levels
D) birth rates

Question 30

Migration plays a small role in population aging because

A) immigrants do not usually have children.
B) immigrants typically arrive in the U.S. as young adults.
C) immigration laws have kept the group of foreign-born older people high.
D) there is a lot of illegal immigration.

Question 31

Today and in the future, population aging will occur mostly because of

A) decreased infant mortality.
B) increased infant mortality.
C) decreased longevity.
D) increased longevity.

Question 32

In the past, population aging took place

A) because of increased infant mortality.
B) because of decreased longevity.
C) because of decreased infant mortality.
D) because of increased longevity.

Question 33

________, more than any other cause, explains population aging in the past.

A) Increased longevity
B) A decline in the fertility and birth rate
C) An increase in the birth rate
D) An increase in the fertility rate

Question 34

In the future, population aging will occur because of

A) decreased longevity.
B) increased longevity.
C) increased infant mortality.
D) decreased infant mortality.

Question 35

At least three specific changes in birth rate influenced population aging in the U.S. Which of the following did not influence population aging?

A) an increase in births before 1920
B) the Baby Boom
C) the increase in fertility rates from the mid-1960s
D) the decline in fertility from the mid-1960s

Question 36

Population aging will slow and in some years reverse itself. Myers (1990) calls this

A) the metabolism of the population.
B) the demographic shift.
C) population migration.
D) the demographic transition.

Question 37

Birth rates reflect

A) old age.
B) retirement.
C) government spending.
D) changing social and demographic conditions.

Question 38

Gerontologists divide the older population into two groups, the young-old and the old-old, aged

A) 75 and over.
B) 55 and over.
C) 65 and over.
D) 55 to 65.

Question 39

Gerontologists define the group aged ________ as the young-old.

A) 55-65
B) 65-70
C) 64-74
D) 85 and older

Question 40

Demographers often divide the older population into ________ groups.

A) 10
B) 3
C) 2
D) 1

Question 41

The fastest growing age group in the country is the group aged

A) 25-35.
B) 65-74.
C) 75-85.
D) 85 and over.

Question 42

________ has led to longer life in old age and will extend the lives of more people in the future.

A) Poor health care
B) A better economy
C) Better health care and disease prevention
D) A decreased birth rate

Question 43

How does the old-old population differ demographically from the young-old population of today?

A) The young-old have fewer supports available.
B) The old-old have smaller social networks.
C) The young-old have fewer children.
D) The old-old have no children.

Question 44

According to Gonyea (2010), the number of people aged 85 and older will grow about ________ times in size between 2000 and 2050.

A) 2
B) 5
C) 7
D) 10

Question 45

Wang (2004) reports that the group aged ________ accounts for 1.5% of the population, but uses the most nursing home and medical services.

A) 65-74
B) 75-84
C) 25-50
D) 85 and over

Question 46

Ortman and colleagues (2014) say that the proportion of ________ in the older population will decrease by the year 2030.

A) Asians
B) African Americans
C) non-Hispanic whites
D) Hispanics

Question 47

By the year 2030, the proportion of ________ in the older population will increase.

A) children
B) men
C) women
D) minorities

Question 48

Today the nonwhite population in the U.S. is ________ than the white population.

A) bigger
B) older
C) younger
D) smaller

Question 49

The difference in racial and ethnic composition of the older population in the U.S. shows a trend toward

A) higher fertility and low mortality.
B) lower fertility and lower mortality rates among nonwhites.
C) higher fertility and higher mortality rates among nonwhites.
D) lower fertility and higher mortality.

Question 50

What factor or factors accounts for the recent increase in the older nonwhite population?

A) decrease in mortality and higher fertility rates
B) increase in mortality of nonwhites
C) decrease in immigration of nonwhites
D) increase in mortality and decrease in immigration of nonwhites

Question 51

In the future, the social structure of the older population will become

A) increasingly white.
B) increasingly nonwhite.
C) increasingly white, decreasingly nonwhite.
D) decreasingly white, increasingly nonwhite.

Question 52

Which of the following is not a trend that leads to an older population in the United States?

A) creative social action
B) accumulation
C) recomposition
D) congregation

Question 53

________ takes place when older people stay behind and young people move out of an area.

A) In-migration
B) Accumulation
C) Recomposition
D) Congregation

Question 54

________ takes place when older people move into an area that younger people leave.

A) Out-migration
B) Accumulation
C) Recomposition
D) Congregation

Question 55

________ takes place when people of all ages move into an area, but older people arrive at the fastest pace.

A) Out- and in-migration
B) Accumulation
C) Recomposition
D) Congregation

Question 56

Three trends that lead to an older population are

A) lifestyle, accumulation, and widowhood.
B) accumulation, consumption, and lifestyle.
C) retirement, Social Security, and Medicare.
D) accumulation, composition, and congregation.

Question 57

What accounts for the high concentration of older people in the Midwestern states?

A) in-migration of younger people
B) in-migration of older people
C) out-migration of younger people
D) out-migration of older people

Question 58

What keeps the proportion of older people in the Sunbelt states other than Florida relatively low?

A) in-migration of younger people for jobs
B) out-migration of younger people
C) in-migration of older people
D) out-migration of older people

Question 59

Why does Florida have one of the largest proportions of population age 65 and over in the U.S.?

A) out-migration of older people from Florida
B) out-migration of younger people from Florida
C) in-migration of younger people to Florida
D) congregation of older people to Florida

Question 60

________ is the lead destination state for migrating retirees.

A) California
B) Rhode Island
C) Texas
D) Florida

Question 61

Demographers find that migration patterns follow

A) the seasons.
B) the life course.
C) non-normative events.
D) period effects.

Question 62

Longino (2001) says that people tend to move for three reasons in old age. Which of the following is not a reason that older people move?

A) retirement
B) moderate disability
C) major chronic disability
D) acute disability

Question 63

Longino (1992) calls the first type of move, at retirement,

A) amenity migration.
B) interstate migration.
C) out-migration.
D) kinship migration.

Question 64

Longino (2001) found that retiree migrants often

A) move to states with lower costs of living, lower income tax, or more relaxed modes of living.
B) have a negative effect on the economy of host communities.
C) have no effect on the economy.
D) have a very small positive effect on the economy.

Question 65

Some older people move to enjoy a new lifestyle at retirement. This type of move is called

A) assistance migration.
B) preparation for aging.
C) kinship migration.
D) amenity migration.

Question 66

Research shows that ________ tends to determine the place people choose for an amenity move.

A) economic conditions
B) social services
C) health care facilities
D) destination characteristics

Question 67

According to Longino, which of the following is not a major reason to move in old age?

A) retirement
B) moderate disability
C) education
D) chronic disability

Question 68

________ migration takes place when older retirees move back near their children.

A) Major chronic disability
B) Amenity
C) Kinship
D) Urban-rural

Question 69

________ migration takes place when an older person moves from a community setting to an institution.

A) Major chronic disability
B) Kinship
C) Amenity
D) Assistance-seeking

Question 70

In the United States, about __% of older white Americans live in cities.

A) 50
B) 67
C) 83
D) 92

Question 71

A(n) ________ takes place when an older retiree moves near his or her children because of illness, disability, or death.

A) preparation-for-aging move
B) assistance move
C) amenity move
D) moderate disability move

Question 72

In the U.S., the majority of older people live in

A) large cities.
B) small towns.
C) rural areas.
D) institutions.

Question 73

Older people tend to live in cities because of

A) economic reasons.
B) work.
C) cultural reasons and the desire to age in place.
D) political reasons.

Question 74

Why do the majority of older people move into or stay in central urban areas?

A) to be anonymous
B) for health care and support
C) for good health
D) for emotional well-being

Question 75

Compared to men, women face a greater chance of being ________ in later life.

A) married
B) single
C) educated
D) in poor health

Question 76

Urban communities show an increase in older people. Which of the following is not a factor in the proportional rise of older people?

A) aging in place
B) children grow up and move away
C) in-migration of the elderly to the suburbs
D) out-migration of the elderly to city centers

Question 77

The formula for the sex ratio is:

A) number of men/number of women × 100
B) number of women/number of men × 100
C) number of men/number of men × 100
D) number of women/number of women × 100

Question 78

The sex ratio in the older population has declined throughout the 20th century due to

A) better health care for women during childbearing years.
B) better health care for women during childbearing years and increases in work-related disease among men.
C) decrease in cigarette smoking among women.
D) higher life expectancy for men.

Question 79

The low sex ratio of the older population means that older women stand a better chance of ________ than older men.

A) heart disease
B) being single
C) poverty
D) retirement

Question 80

The dependency ratio gives a crude measure of how many ________ exist to support younger and older people in the population.

A) older people
B) middle-aged people
C) younger people
D) men