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Demography 407
173. This practical aspect of demographic research is not entirely to its advantage.
Observing that the demographers’ areas of research are so closely
akin to his own preoccupations, the man-in-the-street may be tempted to think
that there is no need to be a specialist to discuss these problems. Whereas no one
would dream of casting doubt on the assertions of an astrophysicist explaining
the result of his observations on the sun, for example, it is not unusual to see the
conclusions of demographic research called in question by persons who have no
authority in the matter. Since these conclusions are generally based on ‘probabilities’,
it is, by definition, always possible to quote particular cases which
contradict them. The would-be demographer is bound to be led into such misconceptions.
174. One way of remedying this unfortunate situation would be to give demo-
graphic training a place of its own in education. So far, this training has never
been very well integrated in the various educational systems, and it is under-
standable that public opinion should not take with all due seriousness the results
of research which even the universities long regarded as unworthy of being
taught as a separate subject in its own right. Considerable progress has been
made in this direction over the past few years, but much still remains to be done.
175. Since the subjects of demographic research are closely related to actual
situations, their variety necessitates, as a rule, a choice influenced by the condi-
tions of the moment. Moreover, it is often at this price that it is possible to
obtain the necessary funds for research. For instance, a team of demographers
working in Asia wil not direct its research along the same lines as another
team working in Europe. The first team wil tend to concern itself with prob-
lems raised by the very high fertility rate of the countries in which it is living,
while the second wil rather study those raised by the decline in the fertility
rate such, for example, as the ageing of populations.
This diversity of interests might lead to a belief in the existence, among demog-
raphers, of different schools of thought throughout the world. In fact, this
diversity does no more than indicate differences in demographic situations and,
contrary to what may be observed in other human sciences, demographers all
agree on the content of their science.
NOTES
I. We are referring here to sexual reproduction, with the marriage institution as a
natural consequence.
2. We have here an essential difference between human sciences and those concerned
with inanimate matter. With the latter, you cannot descend below a certain ‘quan-
tum’ of action. Of course, it is not impossible that one day we shall discover that
human science phenomena are, in their turn, ‘quantified’.
3. Conversely, it can be asked if population censuses have not been used sometimes
to change the way of thinking of the population concerned, for instance, in the
case of a new nation. The fact of being counted creates a bond between the inhabi-