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| Centre for Population Change | |
|---|---|
| Name | Centre for Population Change |
| Established | 2009 |
| Type | Research centre |
| Location | University of Southampton |
| Director | Professor Sarah Harper |
| Affiliations | University of Southampton, Economic and Social Research Council, UK Research and Innovation |
Centre for Population Change is a multidisciplinary research centre based at the University of Southampton that studies demographic change across regions, nations and globally. It brings together scholars from demography, sociology, geography, public health and statistics to analyse patterns in fertility, mortality, migration and ageing. The centre collaborates with academic partners, national agencies and international organisations to inform policy debates in areas such as social care, urban planning and labour markets.
The centre was established in 2009 with support from the Economic and Social Research Council and the University of Southampton, building on earlier work from the Institute for Ageing and the School of Social Sciences. Its formation followed networks that included researchers from the London School of Economics, University of Oxford, University of Manchester, and University of Glasgow. Early programmes drew on longitudinal studies such as the British Household Panel Survey and Understanding Society, and on international comparisons involving the Office for National Statistics, Eurostat, and the United Nations Population Division. Over time the centre expanded links with the Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health and Care Research, and learned societies including the Royal Statistical Society and the Population Association of America.
Research themes include fertility transitions, family demography, international and internal migration, mortality and longevity, regional population change, and the socio-economic determinants of health. Work intersects with studies on ageing and pensions involving the Pensions Policy Institute and Age UK, urban studies linking to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Royal Town Planning Institute, and labour market analyses connected to the Department for Work and Pensions and the International Labour Organization. Methodological innovation draws on techniques from the Office for National Statistics, Human Mortality Database, Eurostat, and computational methods developed in collaboration with the Alan Turing Institute and UK Biobank research teams.
The centre is hosted within the University of Southampton and governed by an advisory board comprising academics and policy representatives from institutions such as the ESRC, UK Research and Innovation, Scottish Government, Welsh Government, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Academic leadership includes professors and principal investigators affiliated with the Southampton Medical School, Faculty of Social Sciences, and School of Geography and Environmental Science. Governance arrangements reference best practice from the Research Excellence Framework and ethics protocols aligned with the Health Research Authority and Medical Research Council guidance. External review and strategic planning have involved partners from the Wellcome Trust, British Academy, and National Academies.
Primary funding has come from the Economic and Social Research Council and collaborative grants with UK Research and Innovation, Wellcome Trust, and Medical Research Council. Project-level support includes commissions from the Office for National Statistics, Department of Health and Social Care, and devolved administrations. International partners include the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, World Health Organization, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and academic networks at Columbia University, University of California Berkeley, and McGill University. Philanthropic and charitable collaborations have involved the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Nuffield Foundation, and local authorities including Southampton City Council.
Major projects have analysed population projections used by the Office for National Statistics, fertility change drawing on Demographic Research datasets, migration flows informed by Eurostat and IOM statistics, and longevity research linked to the Human Mortality Database. Publications appear in leading outlets such as Demography, Population Studies, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Social Science & Medicine, and Population and Development Review. Outputs include technical reports for the Migration Advisory Committee, policy briefs for the Department for Education, working papers with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, and data resources coordinated with the UK Data Service and Health Data Research UK.
The centre has informed policy on social care provision cited by the Department of Health and Social Care, influenced regional planning discussions with the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, and contributed evidence to parliamentary committees including the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee and the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee. Research has been used by think tanks such as the Resolution Foundation and Institute for Public Policy Research, NGOs including Help the Aged and Age Concern, and international agencies like UNFPA. Engagement activities include submissions to the Migration Advisory Committee, testimony to select committees, and advisory roles in national population strategy consultations.
Training programmes include doctoral supervision in partnership with the Economic and Social Research Council Doctoral Training Partnership, short courses for civil servants from the Home Office and Department for Levelling Up, and workshops with practitioners from local authorities and the NHS. Public engagement has involved collaborations with museums, media outlets like BBC and The Guardian, and events at learned societies including the British Society for Population Studies and the Royal Geographical Society. Data literacy and reproducible research initiatives have been run with the Alan Turing Institute, UK Data Service, and Carpentries workshops.
Category:Research institutes in England Category:Demography Category:University of Southampton