Population and Society

"An excellent introduction to the study of population and its significance for many of the key social, political, cultural and environmental issues facing the world today. It covers population growth, ageing, migration and mobility, parenting, health inequalities, and much more... The authors do not shy away from areas of continuing debate, providing both sides of an argument and encouraging readers to follow up the original sources"

- Tony Champion, Emeritus Professor of Population Geography, Centre for Urban, Regional & Development Studies, Newcastle University and Vice President, British Society for Population Studies, 2011-2013



Population and Society is an undergraduate introduction to population that explains the latest trends in population studies. The text provides a detailed and completely accessible overview that:

• situates demographic events - fertility, mortality and migration - within the context of broader social impacts and theorisations like social inequalities, individualisation and life course analysis


• uses global illustrative examples to demonstrate the importance of data and data interpretation in population studies


• is illustrated throughout with pedagogic features, like chapter opening summaries, suggestions for further readings and case study examples.

This text will be widely used as the standard and most up-to-date text on population and society for courses across the social sciences.

This textbook provides an excellent introduction to the study of population and its significance for many of the key social, political, cultural and environmental issues facing the world today. It covers population growth, ageing, migration and mobility, parenting, health inequalities, and much more. While stressing the complexity of population dynamics, it does a fine job of unpacking this by taking each aspect in turn and setting out the relevant theories, definitions, measures and research findings. The text is written in a highly accessible style, speaking directly to the reader about what 'you' should be learning at each point and why. It is helpfully illustrated by examples drawn from the UK and around the world and complemented by boxes with more detailed information. The authors do not shy away from areas of continuing debate, providing both sides of an argument and encouraging readers to follow up the original sources. Unusually for an introductory text, this is a book which draws the reader on and, once started, is quite difficult to put down.
Tony Champion
Emeritus Professor of Population Geography, Vice President, British Society for Population Studies, 2011-2013

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