Sociology of Population

The Sociology of Population is concerned with the size, composition, and distribution of people well defined by geographical location and time period, and with the changes such as those caused by shifts in fertility, mortality, and migration. Enumeration and measurement chart the demographic structure of populations and the rates of births, deaths, and spatial movements. But the numbers do not speak for themselves. The Sociological perspective is crucial to understanding the “why’s” of change in population dynamics. Qualitative approaches complement censuses, surveys, and vital registration systems in describing a population and explaining how its structure is transformed, plus the social consequences of these transformations.