Answer: Causes of population decline
The size and demographics of the population change when:
fewer children are born;
families with children move to larger towns and cities;
young and better-educated people move to larger towns and cities.
Effects of population decline
When young people move to bigger towns and cities, the average age of the population in the place they leave behind automatically goes up. A community with a higher proportion of older inhabitants may be less attractive to businesses, which may additionally have difficulty finding suitable staff locally. Other effects of population decline include:
fewer schools, due to there being fewer children;
a drop in house prices because more homes are unoccupied;
fewer new homes being built;
less demand for rented accommodation;
fewer care facilities;
less turnover for shopkeepers and businesses;
fewer sports facilities;
fewer people going to the theatre, cinema or concerts, so these facilities are eventually cut back;
fewer people travelling by public transport, which thus costlier to run;
local residents have to travel further to reach the facilities they want.
Explanation:
