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Demography & COVID-19

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COVID-19, coronavirus, pandemic

Between mid-March to mid-June 2020, we collected the articles below in response to the coronavirus pandemic. This is a comprehensive list of what our partner institutes and experts wrote on the topic during this time. We thank the Population Europe community for their contributions to this valuable collection of early research on demography and the COVID-19 crisis.

 

In light of the spread of the COVID-19, see what our experts are doing to investigate and address this issue. Demography can help us understand how this pandemic has spread and has had a disproportionate effect on certain age groups, as well as why its spread affects everyone. Check out the articles below for more information:

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • International remittance flows and the economic and social consequences of COVID-19, by Guy J. Abel (Shanghai University, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU) & International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austria) and Stuart Gietel-Basten (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology). The authors analyse the impact of the pandemic on international remittance flows, showing the global consequences of COVID-19 for migrants participating in the 'global economy of work.' [28/05/2020] 

 

  • Age, gender and COVID-19 infections, by Tomáš Sobotka, Raya Muttarak, Kryštof Zeman, Vanessa di Lego (all Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital) and Zuzanna Brzozowska (Masaryk University). Using data from ten European countries, the authors found that among people of working age, women infected with COVID-19 substantially outnumber infected men. After retirement, however, this pattern is reversed, and the male disadvantage in infection rates peaks at ages 70-79. [26/05/2020]

 

 

  • The impact of COVID-19 on fertility plans in Italy, Germany, France, Spain and UK, by Francesca Luppi and Alessandro Rosina of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan and Bruno Arpino of the University of Florence. Fertility plans have been negatively revised in all countries included, with varying trends by country; in Italy, for example, the proportion of those abandoning fertility plans is much higher than in other countries. [21/05/2020]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Combatting COVID-19’s effect on children, a report from the OECD which aims to raise attention on the need to put children at the center of the policy responses to the pandemic crisis. Immediate government measures need to ensure that children have access to good food, receive protection against child abuse and neglect, have continued access to child physical and mental health services, and can navigate safely on the internet. Policies also need to support parental employment since it is key to fighting child poverty. [04/05/2020]

 

 

  • Eurostat’s new COVID-19 dedicated section brings together a wide range of statistics and data published by Eurostat related to COVID-19. They cover a range of topics related to the economy, society and work, population and health as well as agriculture, energy, transport and tourism. The site can give readers a baseline against which the impact of the crisis on European societies and economies can be measured, provide a wider background or help understand the evolution of the crisis. [04/05/2020]

 

  • Intergenerational relationships and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, by Bruno Arpino (University of Florence), Valeria Bordone (University of Vienna) and Marta Pasqualini (Universitat Pompeu Fabra & IUSSP) in collaboration with Aïda Solé-Auró, Léa Pessin and Daniele Vignoli. This website is dedicated to the dissemination of results from an online survey focused on intergenerational relationships and mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. [04/05/2020]

 

  • Migration data relevant for the COVID-19 pandemic, from the IOM-GMDAC Migration Data Portal. This page discusses data on migrants that can inform how they are potentially both affected by the impact of and part of the response to COVID-19. As information related to the COVID-19 pandemic is constantly evolving, figures and other data will be updated on a regular basis. [26/04/2020]

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • The pandemic and the female academic, by social demographer Alessandra Minello of the University of Florence. Using her own experiences working from home with a young son, she writes about gender inequality and household care work in the time of COVID-19, especially in the context of academic careers. She observes that without long-term investment in gender equality, care work will remain unbalanced. [17/04/20]

 

  • Demographic science aids in understanding the spread and fatality rates of COVID-19, by Jennifer Beam Dowd, Valentina Rotondi, Liliana Andriano, David M. Brazel, Per Block, Xuejie Ding, Yan Liu, & Melinda C. Mills of the Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford & Nuffield College, UK. The authors highlight the role of demography, particularly population age structure, in explaining differences in transmission and fatality rates cross-nationally. The authors provide policy recommendations that take population age composition and intergenerational relationships into account. [16/04/2020]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Expert interview on analysing COVID-19 pandemic mortality, with demographers France Meslé (INED) and Jean-Marie Robine (INED and INSERM). They discuss procedures used to determine death statistics as well as how current research will help inform future measures implemented to address epidemics. [02/04/2020]

 

 

  • COVID-19: Visualizing regional socioeconomic indicators for Europe, by Asjad Naqvi of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). This IIASA mapbook is made available to disseminate key demographic and population information in a visible form to assist health professionals, disaster response operations, governments and policymakers from across the European Union. It will continue to expand on a list of key indicators that can be used to better understand the socioeconomic and demographic contexts under which the current COVID-19 crisis is unfolding. [01/04/2020]

 

 

 

  • COVID-19: A Gender Lens, a report from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) on how disease outbreaks can affect women and men differently. Special attention should be given to how the work environment - especially the health and social sector workforce - may expose women to discrimination, as well as sexual & reproductive health and psychosocial needs of frontline workers. [30/03/2020]

 

  • OECD Reports on COVID-19. The OECD has published several brief analyses on the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus outbreak, as well as possible solutions, in areas including containment, health, employment, education, and more. The site is continuously supplemented and updated. [30/03/2020]

 

 

 

  • Coronavirus crisis ‘likely to reduce birth rate’, according to population expert Dr Liz Allen of the Australian National University (ANU). 'Research shows people are less likely to have children in a period of uncertainty and scarcity,' Dr Allen said. She also discusses the particular challenges and possibilities faced by Australia. [26/03/2020]

 

 

  • Technical Brief on the Implications of COVID-19 on Census, by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). With 150 countries scheduled to complete census enumeration in 2020 and 2021, disruptions due to the COVID-19 pandemic will be significant. Several countries have already taken decisions to postpone the census, with many others yet to announce the way forward.

 

 

 

  • A Demographer's View of the Coronavirus Pandemic, an article in the New Yorker featuring demographer C. Jessica Metcalf of Princeton University. Metcalf discusses what this pandemic can teach us about ageing societies, the effectiveness of school closings, and how pandemics throughout history have affected certain age groups. [13/03/2020]

 

We wish all of our audiences health and safety during this time.