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Significant elements in the general course of social change.
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Social trends are long-term changes in one or more fundamental aspects of societies. Additionally, social trends are seen to have momentum in that they cannot easily be reversed or forestalled.
One good example of a social trend is the societal aging of societies all over the world beginning in the last few decades and often referred to as the demographic transition. In this process, greatly increased life expectancies result in the progressive rise of the mean and median ages of individuals in a given population. This transition in turn forces an adjustment in the mix of goods and services available in rapidly aging societies and most particularly in the mix of medical services and income supports for senior citizens which are provided.
Another example is the long-term increase in educational attainment in almost all societies in the world. In the post-World War II world, much...
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Further Readings
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian Social Trends (quarterly until 2013, now three times a year). Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics, Catalogue 4102.0. [Downloadable copies available at human capital http://www.abs.gov.au]
Caplow, T., Bahr, H. M., Modell, J., & Chadwick, B. A. (1994). Recent social trends in the United States 1960–1990 (comparative charting of social change). Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press.
Office for National Statistics (UK). Social Trends (annual). London: Office for National Statistics. ISSN: 2040-1620.
Statistics Canada. Canadian Social Trends (semi-annual). Ottawa: Statistics Canada. Catalogue no.:11-008-XWE.
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© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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McKie, C. (2014). Social Trends. In: Michalos, A.C. (eds) Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2791
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0753-5_2791
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