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August 27, 2025 | Recommended Reading
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) and Bielefeld University investigated how ad design influences the quality of survey responses on Facebook. They tested various ad designs and evaluated the results using six quality markers. Their findings reveal that ads explicitly referencing specific topics generate more clicks, yet often result in lower-quality responses. Neutral ads, on the other hand, lead to higher-quality responses. more
August 22, 2025 | New Publication
Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) analyzed how the risk of Finnish children being placed in out-of-home care has evolved. In 1993 fewer than three percent of children were expected to be placed in care, but by 2020 this figure had risen to six percent. more
August 07, 2025 | Spotlight
Steffen Peters, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR), used register data to predict the likelihood of young men in Sweden forming a family based on their leadership skills. He found that those with higher leadership skills at the age of 17 to 20 years were 10–15 percent more likely to be married by the age of 39. more
August 05, 2025 | Excellent!
Lara Bister received the first prize in the social sciences section of the Körber Foundation's German Thesis Award for her doctoral thesis on economic crises and health, with a focus on the long-term health effects of German reunification on children born during the transition period in East Germany. She began her academic career as a participant in the EDSD and IMPRS-PHDS doctoral programs at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. more
July 22, 2025 | New Publication
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) examined the limitations of theoretical and methodological approaches to understanding gender-specific migration trends. The study's findings reveal that the predictive performance of gravity-type models varies significantly based on the gender composition of migration flows. more
July 17, 2025 | Blog@MPIDR
In spring 2025 Henrik Schubert, Research Scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (MPIDR) and newly graduated PhD from the University of Oxford, spent two months at the United Nations Population Division (UN) in New York City, USA. Henrik had the opportunity to apply his academic knowledge to the practical science being undertaken at the UN by observing and participating in its political work and workflows. And he got to experience what it's like to live in New York City. more
July 08, 2025 | 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
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
June 30, 2025 | 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 | 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