Demographics on the move: How population makeup drives migration
Explore how the age of populations and external events reshape where people live and work, influencing the very fabric of our urban centers and beyond.
By Justin Delizo & Anish Sikka
Migration: Driving Megacity Diversity
The majority of megacities were historically major trading ports or economic hubs within their own states
Due to higher economic opportunities, many people internally migrate from more rural areas to pursue success (and the same reason follows for international migration
A huge reason because of that is due to the fact that urbanized areas tend to have more ethical approaches such as being religiously, racially, and ethnically accepting, along with promoting gender equality. These societal qualities within megacities determine how the person will enjoy their life there, especially for asylum seekers. Furthermore, many areas already have established settlements or neighborhoods by previous migrants (like Chinatown in LA for example, or ethnically-dominated neighborhoods in NYC), which attract following migrants or even family members (chain migration)
Other factors include distance and time, which explains why many Asians tend to migrate to major cities in California like LA because the state takes up the majority of the country’s Pacific Coast
Demographic Imbalance: Societal, Political, and Economic Impacts
The ideal population composition for megacities is to have a large working force (15-64 y/o) to be able to accommodate and pay (typically through taxes) for the resources needed for children and the elderly, which are primarily education and healthcare respectively
When the working force is smaller than the two, it creates an IMBALANCE leading to a high youth/elderly dependency ratio, which means that there isn’t enough resources that are able to meet the needs of the group due to the lack of workers (essentially overworking them) ---> changes in societal structure, which is especially detrimental to a megacity because this is a large-scale economic powerhouse. IF there isn’t enough people to power the economy, then the economy fails within the city
This means some workers may have to step in as family caretakers
Some workers may lose lots of money paying for the overabundant costs of healthcare and education
In addition, cities with older or young dependency ratios tend to be easily dominated politically because general political views tend to be attributed to the lifestyles of those groups. For example, old people tend to be more Republican because they want to pay lower taxes and have lower costs to keep their money after retirement. This creates a representation imbalance within the megacity’s governing body, which can influence leaders that create policies that have impacts on both internal and external affairs.
Remember, censuses are important