Using Ad-Hoc Surveys to Teach Demography

Paola Di Giulio , Vienna Institute of Demography, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, OeAW, University of Vienna)
Bernhard Rengs, Wittgenstein Centre (IIASA, VID/ÖAW, WU)
Cecilia Reynaud, Università Roma Tre

This contribution describes the experience of administering an online survey to university students, using the collected data for teaching demographic concepts. The knowledge gained with this experiment contributes to the development of an effective tool for showing students the challenges of a questionnaire construction and for exploring the core questions of interest to demographers, all while maintaining a manageable survey length. One significant advantage of this approach is the immediacy with which the collected data is presented to all respondents at the end of the survey, enabling instructors to discuss and analyze the results in real time. More interestingly, the resource offers the opportunity to construct an ideal or expected population based on student responses, showing the implications of their answers for the demographic structure of a population. This resource can benefit teaching in a range of lectures, including (but not limited to) those on fertility, aging, and mortality. Additionally, it introduces some creative indicators that effectively engage students in the understanding of demographic principles. Moreover, this teaching resource is designed to evolve collaboratively, allowing demographers to refine and enhance it over time. Furthermore, its utility extends beyond the classroom, serving as a means to communicate pressing demographic challenges to a broader audience, making it an invaluable tool for both education and public engagement. In sum, this original approach to teaching demography hopefully offers a dynamic and engaging experience for students, while also adding a tool to the communication strategies of demographic concepts outside the traditional context of university lectures.

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 Presented in Session P3. Migration, Economics, Policies, History