MACRO-AND MICRO DEMOGRAPHY

The difference between macro and micro study lies in the size of the study aspects unit used in data collection and analysis. Marco Demography studies the total population of a region or country or aggregate of people known to share a common culture or genetic origin or some other common social, economical or other characteristics. Usually the units for macro-demographic studies are the continents, nations or the states or larger administrative units within a country. The studies of slow or rapid growth rate of population birth rate, death rate, sex ratio, dependency ratio, migration, public health system etc. are examples of macro demography. Many other issues as literacy rate, employment, income distribution, proportion-consumption, and living standards, relation between population and economic development and environment are the part of macro-demography.

Units of micro-demography are not only small they are included the larger macro-demography. They constitute the internal or primary elements of macro analysis. This unit is totally dependent on the basic an autonomous units of macro-demography. Micro-demography studies the nature of changes in some of the demographic characteristics of a population group that influence the structure and distribution of the population or help bring some readjustment in population groups. The micro-demography uses individual, family, small community or village as the unit for understanding causal connections to some of the changes observed in the population groups.

Some examples of macro and micro demography:-

Macro mortality studies: - role of vaccination reduction of small pox, polio regional differences in infant mortality; causes of mortality in the country.

Micro-mortality studies: - some communities have reservation against polio vaccination? Role of education in public health awareness; do parents discriminate sons and daughter in matters relating to their health and education?

Macro-fertility study: - the relation between birth rate and economic development, urbanization and industrialization, the differences in birth rate between rural and urban population, religion and birth control etc. often are objectives of macro-fertility study.

Micro-fertility studies: - what is an ideal family size? Cost of rearing a child, family planning awareness and interest in birth control, need for education and aspiration for children are example of micro- fertility studies.

Macro- migration studies: - net migration rate by regions, type of migration in Asia, migration and individual development, sex difference in migration.

Micro-migration studies: - individual and family decisions behind migration, impact of immigration from one to another village or state, why is migration rate high with educated people, how has rural economy been affected by rural-urban migration?