Household Demographics in Leeds - Assignment Example

RUNNING HEAD: CHANGES IN HOUSEHOLD DEMOGRAPHICS IN LEEDS Changes in Household Demographics in Leeds 1981 through 2001 School Date Abstract The demographic face of Britain, in general, but specifically Leeds has been changing dramatically over the past thirty years. Women, more and more, are waiting longer before considering marriage and instead are concentrating on developing careers and/or pursuing further education. With the changes in this societal trend there are certain to be impacts felt in other areas within our culture. With increased spending ability and more financial independence women have more disposable income available to them, more autonomy and with both of those come increased choices. Leeds has a unique population makeup within England. There is a higher percentage of the population within the 16 - 29 age range than in the country as a whole. Additionally, Leeds has a higher than national average concentration of professionals. As societal norms are changing and marriage and children are being delayed and as more people choose to cohabitate without having children, the needs for housing type and structure should change to meet these needs. This research proposal will investigate the demographic trends experienced in Leeds since 1981 and explore how these changes have impacted the housing market. Table of Contents 1.0 Introduction The demographic face of Britain, in general, but specifically Leeds has been changing dramatically over the past thirty years. Women, more and more, are waiting longer before considering marriage and instead are concentrating on developing careers and/or pursuing further education. With the changes in this societal trend there are certain to be impacts felt in other areas within our culture. With increased spending ability and more financial independence women have more disposable income available to them, more autonomy and with both of those come increased choices. This research proposal will investigate the demographic trends experienced in Leeds since 1981 and explore how these changes have impacted the housing market. 2.0 Background Information The current population of Leeds is approximately 715,000 people. Of those 369.000 are female whilst the remaining 347,000 are male. Since 1981 the population has decreased slightly down -0.3% (Phillpotts & Cohen, 2004:p. 22). Even with a slightly dwindling population base Leeds is experiencing an upward turn economically. This slight shift in the population has, in part, resulted from the trend of females in delaying marriage and concentrating first on careers and further education. For years the accepted view was that girls would grow up and marry. However, researchers (Bergman, 1986; Flobre, 1994 as cited in Satz) have demonstrated that too often the role of wife and mother kept females from pursuing further education and establishing careers equal to their male counterparts. The traditional family unit, with the majority of domestic duties performed by the female not to mention the childrearing left women vulnerable to their husbands for support as they tended to forgo their own educational and career development to support the family unit within the home. Weitzman (1985 as cited in Satz, 2004) reported "ex-husbands' standard of living was found to have risen by 42% the year after their divorce, while ex-wives' standard of living was reduced by 78%... This huge discrepancy in income and wealth results from a number of factors, including the fact that women usually have lower job qualifications than their husbands and less work experience" (Satz, 2004, screen 1). Although this marriage at a young age is a viable choice for some women, more frequently the trend has been for females to delay marriage and childrearing in pursuit of their own career and educational development. This trend is seen when examining across time the household makeup within Leeds specifically. Figure 1 below shows that in 1991 there were 281,152 households in Leeds. Of those 82,931 were occupied by a lone adult and an additional 12,027 (29.5% of all households) were comprised of single parents. Figure 1: Leeds Household Make-Up 1991 Census1 Figure 2 below demonstrates that by 2001 there were 301,614 household in Leeds. Of those 95,451 were occupied by a single person and there were 21,249 single parent households, a 6.46% increase since 1991. Figure 2: Leeds Household Make-Up 2001 Census2 Although these increases can not be attributed solely to women's choices to delay marriage and family they do contribute. As seen when evaluating the household compositions in 2001 from Figure 2 above single person households, other that pensioners, has increased by 17.29% 15.49% since 1981, almost 2% higher than all of England and Wales. Further, cohabitating couples who choose to live together and not have children has increased by 5.18% since 1981 which is slightly higher than the nationwide average of 4.72%. Leeds also has an above average number of people within the 20 to 29 age group. In Figure 3 below during the 1991 census the population in the 16-29 year range comprised 21.4% of the population or 145,360 people. Figure 3: Leeds Population and Residents Ages 1991 Census3 By the 2001 census, the population of the 20 - 29 year old band (the age grouping changed between the two censuses), Figure 4 below displays that 108,981 or 15.23% of the population fell within this age group. This group is above the national average of 12.6%. Further the 16 to 19 age group in 2001 was 39,439, 5.51% of the population and again slightly higher than the national average of 4.91%. Leeds as compared to the nation as a whole has a larger group of younger residents who are waiting longer to marry or to have children and this trend as seen by examining the census data over the years is increasing. Figure 4: Leeds Population and Resident Ages 2001 Census4 With this younger, better educated age group comprising more and more of the total population of the city, it should follow that changes in housing needs will change with these demographic trends. Figures 5 and 6 below shows between the 1991 and 2001 censuses conducted the housing market trends have shown a change in make up. Flats have increased in the city whilst single family homes have decreased. Figure 5: Leeds Housing Profile 1991 Census5 The author would assert that this increase in smaller living units has been affected by the changes in the lifestyles of the residents particularly by decisions to postpone marriage and children. Figure 6: Leeds Housing Profile 2001 Census6 According to the 2001 census there are a greater percentage of people living in Leeds categorised as professionals as compared to the rest of Britain, 11.3% versus the national average of 11.17% and an employment rate slightly higher than the national average 52.47% versus 52.33% (LEEDS INITIATIVE, 2003. Census 2001: p. 9). Compared with the employment statistics from 1991 as shown in Figure 7 below, employment is increasing and these trends further demonstrate that the increased employment coupled with more single person households will change the desires of type of housing. Figure 7: Leeds Employment Profile 1991 Census7 3.0 Aims and Objectives This research will concentrate on investigating how the societal changes within the Leeds metropolitan area are affecting the housing requirements of the city. As lifestyles change and family composition shifts from the traditional family to more independent living the researcher will determine if as hypothesised, there is an increased desire for smaller homes, flats and living units. By postponing marriage and child rearing, the emerging professionals of Leeds are more mobile and their housing needs and desires have changed. With more available disposable income available the researcher will determine if this is a causal factor in the shift of home preference within the city. This will be achieved through mapping the cultural changes in Leeds since 1981 including marriage, divorce, homeownership, employment trends and types and education and comparing these factors to housing trends during the same time period. 4.0 Research Design and Methodology Secondary research will be used in the compilation of this study. Secondary research is designed to provide the evaluation of experts which has been reviewed by other experts (Haley 2003). The use of secondary research allows for the analysis of a broad range of topics that can be thoroughly investigated and has proven to be credible. In addition, there are time limitations that inhibit the ability of the researcher to conduct primary research. According to Haley (2003) many researchers have opted to conduct secondary research as opposed to primary research. The author asserts that More generally, limited opportunities for conducting primary research and the costs of qualitative work have prompted researchers to consider maximizing use of the data available to themand availability of qualitative data for secondary analytic purposes. In these respects, the impetus behind the approach is similar to the one which informed the secondary analysis of quantitative data. (Procter 1993 in Heaton 1998: p.1) The research to be used in this discussion comes from several sources including books, web sites and government sources. These sources are available at the library and databases that contain journals and other credible documents. These sources will be used as they provide the most credible information as it relates to the topic of demographic changes in Leeds and the housing changes they facilitate. The research primarily contains qualitative data as it relates to several topics associated the above mentioned outcomes. The research also contains some quantitative data as it relates to expert opinion regarding the topic and the results of metrics. The secondary data research, also known as documentary research or desk research involves "systematically and objectively locating, evaluating, and synthesizing evidence in order to establish facts and draw conclusions concerning a set of events. Rather than collecting data, secondary data is used, that is, documents that are already in existence, published and unpublished" (Britton 1996: p. 1). This will yield the data needed by the researcher to investigate this topic thoroughly. Although secondary research is used quite often, there are drawbacks associated with the use of such data. Haley asserts that there are problems associated with understanding where primary data ends and secondary data begin. For independent researchers in re-using other researchers' data there are also related professional issues about the degree of overlap between their respective works. "There is no easy solution to these problems except to say that greater awareness of secondary analysis might enable researchers to more appropriately recognize and define their work as such" (Heaton 1998: p. 1). In addition secondary data can often contain biases presented by the organisation or the person that conducted the research. For instance, research conducted by a particular researcher may have a different bias than the research presented by another an independent researcher evaluating that particular theory or application. These biases exist because organizations often have agendas associated with the information that is published. Understanding that such bias exist is essential for a researcher so they can present the research in a way that is objective and balanced. There can also be problems associated in the way in which the research used to compile secondary data is conducted. The research may not be as accurate as the researcher believes. There are also issues associated with the misinterpretation of the research. The manner in which the researcher interprets the data can significantly influence the way in which the research is perceived. Although there are problems associated with the use of secondary research in methodology there is enough evidence to suggest that it can be used effectively in the development of research and to draw conclusions about a particular topic. 5.0 Research Plan and Timetable for Research (300 words) The author, in researching this topic, will spend considerable time accessing government databases in order to gather the required demographic information necessary to compile the required data for analysis. In preparing this proposal the author immediately became aware of the difficulty in obtain census data from the 1981 census for comparison. Lengthy research will be necessary to compile the required information in order to make an empirical evaluation of this time period. Because of the vast amount of information needed to compile and analyse the researcher needs to allot ample time to collect all the required documentation. A two month period for data collection will allow for this and allow the researcher time should additional avenues for research surface during the research process. The researcher will first seek access to the 1981 census data through academic sources as this data is no longer available on the National Statistic website. If access is not available through this means additional research will be conducted to find the data within other researchers' work. Although this will be very time consuming it will be accomplished if necessary. Additionally, although not stated in the methodology section it may become necessary to gather some of the information needed through survey or questionnaire and the researcher is considering this as a viable addition to the research phase. As the research progresses the use of primary data collection could yield additional insight the researcher may not have available through secondary data. It may be interesting to ascertain personal perceptions within the Leeds community regarding the changing demographics, attitudinal changes amongst young people and government recognition of these changes and the initiatives put forth to address them. 6.0 Risk Assessment In using secondary research has a data collection methodology there is limited risk involved for either the researcher or other parties. Should the researcher determine that development and utilisation of a questionnaire or survey becomes necessary, a subsequent re-evaluation or risk would become necessary. However, in general, the use of such would entail minimal safety issues. Upon completion of the research several weeks will be necessary to compile the information in a meaningful, coherent fashion for presentation. Once the initial research has been translated onto paper an additional week will be used for proofing and editing prior to submission. In total, three months will be used from acceptance of proposal to submission of final version of the research findings. 7.0 Ethical Considerations As with any research undertaking it is the researcher's responsibility to ensure that all data presented is accurate and complete. With any type of research it is imperative for the research to consider his or her competence for carrying out the research and to determine if, in fact there will be a benefit derived from it. According to the British Association of Social Workers one must first consider their ability to conduct the research and to ascertain its social relevance. When dealing with a subject such as homelessness and drug misuse, especially if actually interacting with subjects the utmost honest and respect is required. Safety of the subject and others is paramount. (BASW, 2006) Another important consideration is to maintain at all time professional responsibility. Respect for other professionals and the general public is a requisite requirement. In order to determine if the results of the research will justify the research project, care must be given to "express the values and principles which are integral to social work" (BASW, 2006: screen 1) is assured and maintained. This includes being non-judgmental. In a research undertaking such as this, values, thoughts and beliefs expressed by subjects may be totally contrary to the researcher's personal mores, attitudes and beliefs. However, as a profession that bias must not affect one's dealings with the subjects or to sway analysis of the findings. References Affordability of housing association rents in England, 2006. [online]. University of Cambridge, Centre for Housing and Planning. Available from: http://www.dataspring.org.uk/news/tempnews.asp [Accessed 20 March 2006]. BASW (British Association of Social Work) code of ethics, 2006 [online]. British Association of Social Work Website. Available from http://www.basw.co.uk/articles.phparticleId=2 [Accessed 20 March 2006]. Bergmann, B., 1986, The Economic Emergence of Women, New York: Basic Books. Britton, A., 1996. Advice about empirical research. [online] Middlesex University Website. Available from www.mdx.ac.uk/www/study/research.htm [Accessed 20 Mar. 2006] Folbre, N., 1994, Who Pays for the Kids Gender and the Structures of Constraint, NY: Routledge. Haley, G., 5 Mar. 2003. "An introduction to using data at DPLS." [online] Data and Program Library Service Website. Available from http://dpls.dacc.wisc.edu/types/secondary.htm [Accessed 20 Mar. 2006] Heaton, J., 1998. Secondary analysis of qualitative data. [online] Social Research Update, 22. Available from http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/sru/SRU22.html [Accessed 20 Mar. 2006] LEEDS CITY COUNCIL PLANNING DEPARTMENT (LCCPD), 2000. Leeds Metropolitan District - Census 1991 Census. Leeds: Crown Publishing. LEEDS INITIATIVE, 2003. Census 2001: Leeds the big picture. Leeds: Crown Publishing Phillpotts, G. and Cohen D, 2004. Regions in figures: Yorkshire and the Humbers. Nationsal Statistics Office, London: Crown Publishing. Procter, M. "Analysing other researchers' data." in Gilbert, N. (Ed.) Researching Social Life. London: Sage, 1993. Satz, D., 2004. Feminist perspectives on Reproduction and the family. [online]. Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy website. Available from http://www.seop.leeds.ac.uk/entries/feminism-family/ [Accessed 20 March 2006]. Read More