Professional Resources

• Sociology of Population 
  Sociologists who study population dynamics are organized in the American Sociological Association Sociology of Population Section.
   
• Within the group that studies populations in general, there are sociologists who study more specific issues:
  • Aging and the Life Course
  • International Migration
     
• Population Association of America 
  Demographers also have their own separate professional organization, the Population Association of America (PAA)which sponsors the leading professional journal in this field, Demography.

Data Resources

Demographers specialize in the analysis of large-scale data sets, including population censuses like that which the United States government undertakes every 10 years. Consequently, there are far more important sources of demographic data than can be listed here. Some of the more popular sources of data, however, include the following:

• U.S. Bureau of the Census 
  The Population Division of the U.S. Bureau of the Census offers socioeconomic and demographic data in nationally representative surveys.
   
• The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 
  The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Data Dissemination Branch makes available its latest data in published form and electronically.
   
• National Institute on Aging (NIA) 
  The Behavioral and Social Research (BSR) Program of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) supports basic social and behavioral research and research training on aging processes and the place of older people in society. It focuses on how people change with aging, on the interrelationships between older people and social institutions (e.g., the family, health care systems), and on the societal impact of the changing age composition of the population.
   
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development 
  The Demographic and Behavioral Sciences Branch of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) supports large-scale data collection activities that contribute to research on the determinants and consequences of demographic change.
   
• The Health Retirement Study 
  The Health Retirement Study is a nationally representative, longitudinal study that provides insights into why people retire and how they cope with declining health in later life. 
   
• “The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) 
  “The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing data related to education” (). Here you can find demographic statistics about students all over the U.S. The NCES Kids' Zone is a great place to start looking at interesting facts about education.” The NCES Kids' Zone provides information to help you learn about schools; decide on a college; find a public library; engage in several games, quizzes and skill building about math, probability, graphing, and mathematicians; and to learn many interesting facts about education”

Other Resources

• American Demographics
  A degraded rendition of the demographic trade—demography as marketing research--can be found in the magazine American Demographics.
   
• The Population-Environment Research Network 
  The Population-Environment Research Network seeks to advance academic research on population and the environment by promoting online scientific exchange among researchers from social and natural science disciplines worldwide [self-characterization]. 
   
• The Population Reference Bureau 
  The Population Reference Bureau informs people around the world about population, health, and the environment, and empowers them to use that information to advance the well-being of current and future generations [self-characterization].