Originally published in 1983, this book examines the problems of fertility in predicting population trends. It varies a great deal according to mothers’ ages, ethnic groups, place and time. It is important for demographers, planners and policy-makers to know precisely what fertility differences are, what gives rise to them and how they can be handled and predicted statistically. This volume discusses these challenges in detail and analyses information to show how factors like religion, place of birth and socio-economic grouping affect fertility.

The professors with whom Lincoln H. Day studied at Yale were a profound influence on his approach to the study of demographic trends. His statistical analysis took into account the sociological consequences of different demographic patterns. Early in his career, he developed a passionate concern about the impact of population growth on the planet’s limited natural resources. Lincoln held teaching positions in Princeton, Harvard and Yale and served as Chief of the Demographic and Social Statistics Branch of the United Nations. In 1973 Lincoln accepted the position of Senior Research Fellow at the Australian National University (ANU). Interspersed with his teaching and research duties at the ANU, Lincoln held several overseas positions including 6 months in the Hague as a visiting scholar at NIDI, the Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute. Analyzing PopulationTrends is the culmination of Lincoln Day’s long and diverse life experience: straddling two academic disciplines, sociology and demography, traveling extensively world wide, and residing on different continents and in different cultural milieus.