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July 08, 2025 | News | Recommended Reading
In a paper published in November 2024, Sanna Kailaheimo-Lönnqvist, Mikko Myrskylä, and colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) and University of Helsinki examined the relationship between depression, as measured by antidepressant use, and childlessness. Using Finnish total population register data for cohorts born between 1977 and 1980, they found a positive association between depression and childlessness. more
July 03, 2025 | News
We are happy to announce that the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) has recently created the Scientific Panel Kinship Structures, Dynamics and Inequalities, chaired by Diego Alburez-Gutierrez from the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR). The steering committee of the panel includes Saroja Adhikari and Bettina Hünteler (MPIDR), Prof. Luca Maria Pesando (New York University Abu Dhabi), Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan (National University of Singapore) and Ashton Verdery (Pennsylvania State University). more
July 02, 2025 | Press Release
Declining birth rates and rising life expectancy are reshaping the size and age structure of families worldwide. A recent study reveals that the question is not only whether these changes will occur, but also how quickly they will unfold. Analyses of real population data from Thailand, Indonesia, Ghana and Nigeria as well as stylized scenarios confirm this trend. In countries undergoing rapid demographic change, people with an age difference of only five to ten years may have drastically different kinship networks. The swift decline in, and evolving age structure of, these networks can significantly weaken traditional chains of mutual family support. more
July 01, 2025 | Defo News
In this issue of Demografischen Forschung Aus Erster Hand, all three articles are dedicated to the topic of Family planning and health of migrants. more
June 30, 2025 | News | Congratulations
In May, Antonino Polizzi successfully defended his doctoral thesis, "The Causes and the Consequences of Growing Life Expectancy Shortfalls" at the University of Oxford. more
June 25, 2025 | News | SPOTLIGHT
In the US, the later you retire, the higher your monthly pension benefit will be. Researchers have investigated whether this is optimal, given the uncertainties surrounding life expectancy. The results show that delaying retirement poses a particular financial risk to men and low-income groups, and that different decisions are necessary depending on individual circumstances and uncertainty. more
June 20, 2025 | News | Recommended Reading
Can we predict Steph Curry’s next move on the court?
Last year, Boris Barron started at MPIDR as a research scientist in the Migration and Mobility Department. He is a physicist and specializes in modeling complex systems. While at Cornell University, he and his colleagues developed a methodology to analyze detailed positional information of basketball players in NBA games. Their approach adapted a physics-based approach, Density Functional Fluctuation Theory (DFFT), to provide a general framework to infer subtle aspects of the game. more
June 11, 2025 | Press Release
A recent study by researchers at the University of Padua and the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) has revealed that political differences between partners can significantly increase the risk of separation. Using long-term data from UK couples, the researchers found that those with different party preferences were substantially more likely to separate than those with the same political beliefs. The risk is particularly high when there are differences of opinion on Brexit. more
June 04, 2025 | News | Research Visit
The Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) is organizing the Population and Social Data Science Summer Incubator Program, a three-month research visit (from June 2 – August 22, 2025) for a diverse group of PhD students. more
June 02, 2025 | News
Recap of the “Gender Inequalities, Fertility, and the Future of Family Demography: Intersectionality in an Era of Family Complexity” conference in Rostock: In March 2025, researchers from six continents gathered at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) for the conference in Rostock. The scholars came together to debate and advance the understanding of fertility, gender inequality, social stratification, and the growing complexity of family life. more