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Policy Brief

Life After the Pandemic

Lessons from 2020

In the period after the pandemic, long-term socio-demographic challenges that have developed during this time can be expected and societies and political decision-makers should be prepared to deal with them. This brief presents recommended improvements that can be made in societies as we move forward.
Download Population and Policy Brief 30/2021 (1.47 MB)
Life After the Pandemic

Key Messages

  • It should not be the primary goal to return to life before COVID-19. It is more important to use the experiences from the pandemic for urgently needed reforms to achieve a fundamental improvement in living conditions.
  • Individuals’ socio-economic status and mental health should be given more consideration. ‘People’ and ‘living conditions’ can be very different. Future efforts need to take these factors into consideration to avoid undesired effects, especially for vulnerable groups.
  • The long-term health consequences (morbidity) due to missed doctor visits and preventative check-ups need to be studied and conclusions drawn for future crisis management.
  • The socio-demographic data infrastructure needs to be expanded. When collecting data, it is important that the data are comparable and consistent.

 

References

  1. Balbo, N., Kashnitsky, I., Melegaro, A., Meslé, F., Mills, M. C., de Valk, H. A. G. & Vono de Vilhena, D. (2020). Demography and the Coronavirus Pandemic. Population & Policy Compact 25, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.
  2. Doblhammer, G. & Trappe, H. (2021). COVID-19 und natürliche Bevölkerungsentwicklung aus der Perspektive des Lebenslaufs: Gesundheitliche Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf die Lebensphasen Jugend und Alter. In E. Lines (ed.), Post-Pandemic Populations. The socio-demographic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany (pp. 28-33). Discussion Paper No. 13, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.
  3. Esteve, A. & Trias-Llimós, S. (2021). The COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Demography and Demographers. In E. Lines (ed.), Post-Pandemic Populations. The socio-demographic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany (pp. 8-13). Discussion Paper No. 13, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.
  4. Sauerberg, M. (2021). Das Mortalitätsgeschehen während der COVID-19-Pandemie in Deutschland und anderen europäischen Ländern. In E. Lines (ed.), Post-Pandemic Populations. The socio-demographic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany (pp. 14-19). Discussion Paper No. 13, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.
  5. Sobotka, T., Brzozowska, Z., Muttarak, R., Zeman, K. & di Lego, V. (2020). Age, gender and COVID-19 infections. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.24.20111765
  6. Statistisches Bundesamt (26. April 2021). Mehr Sterbefälle, weniger Geburten und Eheschließungen im Jahr 2020 (Pressemitteilung Nr. 200). https://www.destatis.de/DE/Presse/Pressemitteilungen/2021/04/PD21_200_126.html

 

Acknowledgements

Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

 

The Policy Brief is based on an Expert Meeting held on 26 January 2021 and the Discussion Paper “Post-Pandemic Populations: The socio-demographic consequences of the COVID-19 Pandemic”, which are part of the Post-Pandemic Populations project funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth.

Additional Information

Authors of Original Article

Lines

Source

Lines, E. (2021). Life After the Pandemic: Lessons from 2020 Population and Policy Brief 30, Berlin: Max Planck Society/Population Europe.