Consensus
Intergenerational mobility is an important measure of well-being that underlies a fundamental value: that anyone should be able to succeed economically based on their own merits, regardless of their circumstances. This has been a value held by many Americans throughout U.S. history, even as many observers may rightly argue that it has been, at times and for many groups, severely constrained. For all the emphasis placed on mobility in the United States, the chances Americans have of doing better than their parents and their chances of succeeding economically regardless of the advantages of birth are not higher than in other wealthy countries.
This report provides a forward-looking framework for data, research, and policy initiatives to boost upward mobility and better fulfill promises of opportunity and advancement for all members of U.S. society. The report focuses on key domains that shape mobility, including early life and family; the spaces and places where people live and work; postsecondary education; and credit, wealth, and debt. It also discusses the data infrastructure needed to support an extensive research agenda on economic and social mobility.
290 pages
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6 x 9
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-73039-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-73040-6
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/28456
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Economic and Social Mobility: New Directions for Data, Research, and Policy. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Worsening mortality among working-age adults is a significant concern in the United States. Because rising mortality is an indicator of deteriorating population health among adults, it is important to investigate the underlying causes and their implications. At the request of the National Institute on Aging, the Committee on Population of the National Academies convened a workshop to examine what is currently known about trends in disability and disabling morbidity, with the goal for helping to set a research agenda and data priorities. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
96 pages
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-99210-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-99211-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/29100
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Health and Disability Among Working-Age Adults: Trends, Disparities, and Implications for Employment and Federal Programs: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Early life disadvantages have been associated with a higher risk of dementia, but the risk may be modified by early life and midlife exposures. While attention is often given to individuals' behavior and choices, structural and institutional forces may be more effective in addressing risk factors.
The Committee on Population held a two-day public workshop on August 29-30, 2024 that examined what measures, data infrastructure needs, and analytic measures can advance understanding of how midlife social exposures can address early life risk factors. Participants discussed the state of knowledge and identified conceptual approaches to guide research on better understanding midlife exposures that may be modifiable in reducing the risk of later-life dementia. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion from the workshop.
106 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-73376-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-73377-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/28909
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Identifying Midlife Social Exposures That Might Modify Risks of Cognitive Impairment Associated with Early Life Disadvantage: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Consensus
Women's empowerment, population dynamics, and socioeconomic development have been studied extensively from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. However, attempts to reconcile these perspectives and apply a holistic view to the relationships among these concepts have been rare, and this lack of consensus limits the extent to which these concepts can be applied toward accomplishing global health and development goals.
This report looks to advance the state of knowledge on the impact of women's empowerment and associated population dynamics on socioeconomic development by developing a conceptual framework describing these dynamics and setting an agenda for future policy-relevant research and data collection.
232 pages
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6 x 9
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-72624-7
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-72625-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27955
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2025. Women's Empowerment, Population Dynamics, and Socioeconomic Development. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Between 1980 and mid-2023, 232 billion-dollar disasters occurred in the U.S. Gulf Coast region, with the number of disasters doubling annually since 2018. The variety and frequency of storms have exacerbated historic inequalities and led to cycles of displacement and chronic stress for communities across the region. While disaster displacement is not a new phenomenon, the rapid escalation of climate-related disasters in the Gulf increases the urgency to develop pre-disaster policies to mitigate displacement and decrease suffering. Yet, neither the region nor the nation has a consistent and inclusionary process to address risks, raise awareness, or explore options for relocating communities away from environmental risks while seeking out and honoring their values and priorities.
Community-Driven Relocation: Recommendations for the U.S. Gulf Coast Region and Beyond examines how people and infrastructure relocate and why community input should drive the planning process. This report provides recommendations to guide a path for federal, state, and local policies and programs to improve on and expand existing systems to better serve those most likely to be displaced by climate change.
590 pages
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-70872-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-70873-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27213
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Community-Driven Relocation: Recommendations for the U.S. Gulf Coast Region and Beyond. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Although much research has been conducted on community-level factors related to the risk of dementia in general, less is known about the factors that affect the ability of older adults with dementia to age in place successfully. Additional research could lead to a better understanding of the data and resources needed to support innovative approaches for adaptive housing, services, and supports so that people living with dementia can remain in their communities.
To explore these needs and develop effective strategies for the future, the Committee on Population and Board on Behavioral, Cognitive, and Sensory Sciences of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a virtual workshop on aging in place with dementia on September 13-15, 2023. Sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, this workshop highlighted the state of knowledge and identified research gaps to inform conceptual approaches to guide research on dementia-friendly communities in the U.S. context, building on existing approaches in the field.
134 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-71372-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71373-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27420
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Aging in Place with Dementia: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In September 2023, the Committee on Population at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine held a workshop, Developing an Agenda for Population Aging and Social Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). The explicit goal of the workshop was to identify the most promising directions for behavioral and social research and data infrastructure investments for studying life-course health, aging, and Alzheimers disease and Alzheimers disease and related dementias in LMICs. This publication summarizes the presentation and discussion of the workshop.
142 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-71343-9
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-71344-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/27415
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2024. Developing an Agenda for Population Aging and Social Research in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs): Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Genetic and genomic information has become far more accessible, and research using human genetic data has grown exponentially over the past decade. Genetics and genomics research is now being conducted by a wide range of investigators across disciplines, who often use population descriptors inconsistently and/or inappropriately to capture the complex patterns of continuous human genetic variation.
In response to a request from the National Institutes of Health, the National Academies assembled an interdisciplinary committee of expert volunteers to conduct a study to review and assess existing methodologies, benefits, and challenges in using race, ethnicity, ancestry, and other population descriptors in genomics research. The resulting report focuses on understanding the current use of population descriptors in genomics research, examining best practices for researchers, and identifying processes for adopting best practices within the biomedical and scientific communities.
240 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-70065-5
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-70066-3
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26902
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2023. Using Population Descriptors in Genetics and Genomics Research: A New Framework for an Evolving Field. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The aging population of the United States has significant implications for the workforce - challenging what it means to work and to retire in the U.S. In fact, by 2030, one-fifth of the population will be over age 65. This shift has significant repercussions for the economy and key social programs. Due to medical advancements and public health improvements, recent cohorts of older adults have experienced better health and increasing longevity compared to earlier cohorts. These improvements in health enable many older adults to extend their working lives. While higher labor market participation from this older workforce could soften the potential negative impacts of the aging population over the long term on economic growth and the funding of Social Security and other social programs, these trends have also occurred amidst a complicating backdrop of widening economic and social inequality that has meant that the gains in health, improvements in mortality, and access to later-life employment have been distributed unequally.
Understanding the Aging Workforce: Defining a Research Agenda offers a multidisciplinary framework for conceptualizing pathways between work and nonwork at older ages. This report outlines a research agenda that highlights the need for a better understanding of the relationship between employers and older employees; how work and resource inequalities in later adulthood shape opportunities in later life; and the interface between work, health, and caregiving. The research agenda also identifies the need for research that addresses the role of workplaces in shaping work at older ages, including the role of workplace policies and practices and age discrimination in enabling or discouraging older workers to continue working or retire.
280 pages
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8.5 x 11
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49387-0
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49395-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26173
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Understanding the Aging Workforce: Defining a Research Agenda. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Workshop_in_brief
Strategically moving communities and infrastructure - including homes and businesses - away from environmentally high-risk areas, such as vulnerable coastal regions, has been referred to as managed retreat. Of all the ways humans respond to climate-related hazards, managed retreat has been one of the most controversial due to the difficulty inherent in identifying when, to where, by whom, and the processes by which such movement should take place.
To understand and respond to the unique challenges associated with managed retreat, the Gulf Research Program of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine sponsored a committee of experts to provide in-depth analysis and identify short- and long-term next steps for Gulf Coast communities that may need to relocate. The committee convened a series of three public workshops in the Gulf Coast region to gather information about on policy and practice considerations, research and data needs, and community engagement strategies. The workshops focused on elevating the voices of communities and individuals contemplating, resisting, undertaking, or facing barriers to relocation (including systemic issues such as structural racism), as well as individuals who have resettled and communities that have received such individuals. Each workshop included community testimonials and panels of local decision makers and experts discussing study-relevant processes and obstacles faced by communities. The first workshop was held in two parts in Houston and Port Arthur, Texas; the second workshop was held in St. Petersburg, Florida; and the third workshop was held in two parts in Thibodaux and Houma, Louisiana. This Proceedings of a Workshop-in Brief recounts the second workshop, held in July 2022 in St. Petersburg, Florida.
11 pages
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ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69447-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26736
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Relocation and Other Climate Adaptations on Florida's Gulf Coast: Proceedings of a Workshop—in Brief. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Structural racism refers to the public and private policies, institutional practices, norms, and cultural representations that inherently create unequal freedom, opportunity, value, resources, advantage, restrictions, constraints, or disadvantage for individuals and populations according to their race and ethnicity both across the life course and between generations. Developing a research agenda on structural racism includes consideration of the historical and contemporary policies and other structural factors that explicitly or implicitly affect the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, as well as strategies to measure those factors.
The Committee on Population of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a 2-day public workshop on May 16-17, 2022, to identify and discuss the mechanisms through which structural racism operates, with a particular emphasis on health and well-being; to develop an agenda for future research and data collection on structural racism; and to strengthen the evidence base for policy making. Speaker presentations and workshop discussions provided insights into known sources of structural racism and rigorous models of health inequity, revealed novel sources and approaches informed by other disciplines and related fields, and highlighted key research and data priorities for future work on structural racism and health inequity.
104 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-69281-4
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-69282-2
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26690
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Structural Racism and Rigorous Models of Social Inequity: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Since around 1980, fewer Americans than before are doing better than their parents had – that is, more are experiencing downward social and economic mobility in terms of occupational status and income. This trend in downward mobility is occurring amidst high and rising levels of inequality in income, wealth, health, and life expectancy. To better understand the factors that influence social and economic mobility, the Committee on Population and the Committee on National Statistics hosted a workshop on February 14-15, 2022. The proceedings from this workshop identify key priorities for future research and data collection to improve social and economic mobility.
122 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-68962-7
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68963-5
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26598
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2022. Research and Data Priorities for Improving Economic and Social Mobility: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The past century has witnessed remarkable advances in life expectancy in the United States and throughout the world. In 2010, however, progress in life expectancy in the United States began to stall, despite continuing to increase in other high-income countries. Alarmingly, U.S. life expectancy fell between 2014 and 2015 and continued to decline through 2017, the longest sustained decline in life expectancy in a century (since the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919). The recent decline in U.S. life expectancy appears to have been the product of two trends: (1) an increase in mortality among middle-aged and younger adults, defined as those aged 25-64 years (i.e., "working age"), which began in the 1990s for several specific causes of death (e.g., drug- and alcohol-related causes and suicide); and (2) a slowing of declines in working-age mortality due to other causes of death (mainly cardiovascular diseases) after 2010.
High and Rising Mortality Rates among Working Age Adults highlights the crisis of rising premature mortality that threatens the future of the nation's families, communities, and national wellbeing. This report identifies the key drivers of increasing death rates and disparities in working-age mortality over the period 1990 to 2017; elucidates modifiable risk factors that could alleviate poor health in the working-age population, as well as widening health inequalities; identifies key knowledge gaps and make recommendations for future research and data collection to fill those gaps; and explores potential policy implications. After a comprehensive analysis of the trends in working-age mortality by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and geography using the most up-to-date data, this report then looks upstream to the macrostructural factors (e.g., public policies, macroeconomic trends, social and economic inequality, technology) and social determinants (e.g., socioeconomic status, environment, social networks) that may affect the health of working-age Americans in multiple ways and through multiple pathways.
596 pages
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paperback
ISBN Paperback: 0-309-68473-0
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68474-9
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25976
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. High and Rising Mortality Rates Among Working-Age Adults. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Virtually all of the growth in the world's population for the foreseeable future will take place in the cities and towns of the developing world. Over the next twenty years, most developing countries will for the first time become more urban than rural. The benefits from urbanization cannot be overlooked, but the speed and sheer scale of this transformation present many challenges. A new cast of policy makers is emerging to take up the many responsibilities of urban governance—as many national governments decentralize and devolve their functions, programs in poverty, health, education, and public services are increasingly being deposited in the hands of untested municipal and regional governments. Demographers have been surprisingly slow to devote attention to the implications of the urban transformation.
Drawing from a wide variety of data sources, many of them previously inaccessible, Cities Transformed explores the implications of various urban contexts for marriage, fertility, health, schooling, and children's lives. It should be of interest to all involved in city-level research, policy, planning, and investment decisions.
550 pages
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6 x 9
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hardcover
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-51148-8
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/10693
National Research Council. 2003. Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Over the past several decades, fertility rates have fallen substantially in low- and middle-income countries, and efforts to limit fertility, primarily through the implementation of family planning programs, have become increasingly widespread. Although there is a substantial scholarly literature on the determinants of contraceptive use and other measures to limit fertility and on the resulting differentials in fertility, relatively little is known about the role played by women's empowerment as both a determinant and a consequence of fertility decline. In addition, there continues to be little consensus about the link between fertility decline and broader societal impacts, including economic development.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a workshop, "Family Planning, Women's Empowerment, and Population and Societal Impacts," in September 2020. This event brought together experts and stakeholders to discuss conceptual, methodological, and policy issues regarding the relationships among family planning, women's empowerment, fertility decline, and population and societal impacts. The discussion was intended to inform research and policy focused on the issues of women's roles and empowerment and on longstanding questions surrounding the determinants and consequences of fertility reduction behavior. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussion of the workshop.
100 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-14900-2
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-14963-0
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/26023
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2021. Family Planning, Women's Empowerment, and Population and Societal Impacts: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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The increase in prevalence and visibility of sexually gender diverse (SGD) populations illuminates the need for greater understanding of the ways in which current laws, systems, and programs affect their well-being. Individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual, transgender, non-binary, queer, or intersex, as well as those who express same-sex or -gender attractions or behaviors, will have experiences across their life course that differ from those of cisgender and heterosexual individuals. Characteristics such as age, race and ethnicity, and geographic location intersect to play a distinct role in the challenges and opportunities SGD people face.
Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations reviews the available evidence and identifies future research needs related to the well-being of SDG populations across the life course. This report focuses on eight domains of well-being; the effects of various laws and the legal system on SGD populations; the effects of various public policies and structural stigma; community and civic engagement; families and social relationships; education, including school climate and level of attainment; economic experiences (e.g., employment, compensation, and housing); physical and mental health; and health care access and gender-affirming interventions.
The recommendations of Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations aim to identify opportunities to advance understanding of how individuals experience sexuality and gender and how sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status affect SGD people over the life course.
436 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-68081-6
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-68082-4
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25877
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Understanding the Well-Being of LGBTQI+ Populations. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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Human trafficking has many names and can take many forms - pimp control, commercial sex, exploitation, forced labor, modern slavery, child labor, and several others - and the definitions vary greatly across countries and cultures, as well as among researchers. In the United States, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) is the cornerstone of counter-trafficking efforts. It provides guidance for identifying and defining human trafficking, and it authorizes legislation and appropriations for subsequent counter-trafficking measures both within and outside of the federal government. First enacted in 2000, the TVPA has since been reauthorized by three administrations, and it includes a directive for the President to establish an Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking. The subsequent Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 also includes provisions for victim services and plans to enhance collaboration efforts to fight trafficking abroad.
To explore current and innovative sampling methods, technological approaches, and analytical strategies for estimating the prevalence of sex and labor trafficking in vulnerable populations, a 2-day public workshop, Approaches to Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in the United States, was held in Washington, D.C. in April 2019. The workshop brought together statisticians, survey methodologists, researchers, public health practitioners, and other experts who work closely with human trafficking data or with the survivors of trafficking. Participants addressed the current state of research on human trafficking, advancements in data collection, and gaps in the data. They discussed international practices and global trends in human trafficking prevalence estimation and considered ways in which collaborations across agencies and among the U.S. government and private-sector organizations have advanced counter-trafficking efforts. This proceedings summarizes the presentations and discussions of the workshop.
84 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49959-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49960-7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25614
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Estimating the Prevalence of Human Trafficking in the United States: Considerations and Complexities: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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In 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees estimated 70.8 million people could be considered forced migrants, which is nearly double their estimation just one decade ago. This includes internally displaced persons, refugees, asylum seekers, and stateless people. This drastic increase in forced migrants exacerbates the already urgent need for a systematic policy-related review of the available data and analyses on forced migration and refugee movements.
To explore the causes and impacts of forced migration and population displacement, the National Academies convened a two-day workshop on May 21-22, 2019. The workshop discussed new approaches in social demographic theory, methodology, data collection and analysis, and practice as well as applications to the community of researchers and practitioners who are concerned with better understanding and assisting forced migrant populations. This workshop brought together stakeholders and experts in demography, public health, and policy analysis to review and address some of the domestic implications of international migration and refugee flows for the United States. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop.
124 pages
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ISBN Paperback: 0-309-49816-3
ISBN Ebook: 0-309-49817-1
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17226/25584
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2019. Forced Migration Research: From Theory to Practice in Promoting Migrant Well-Being: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
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