ESRC Centre for Population Change and Connecting Generations

28/05/2026

🗨️ “It may be that in the next few years, as the postponement of births slows down or ceases, and individuals recuperate in their childbearing at later ages, there will be stabilisation and even small increases in the [total fertility rate] for England and Wales."

Yesterday, CPC-CG member Professor Ann Berrington spoke with the Financial Times about the latest Office for National Statistics data on in England and Wales. The data shows that, in 2025, the number of babies born fell to the lowest level in almost half a century and continues the long-term trend of falling births going back over the past decade.

Data highlights demographic challenge where the population would barely grow without immigration

28/05/2026

Join CPC-CG member Professor Nissa Finney on 3 June as she speaks about how housing inequalities across the UK are shaped by race and racism, drawing on national survey and census data alongside community research ⬇️⬇️

21/05/2026

📉 CPC member Dr Bernice Kuang was called on to discuss whether falling birth rates are really something to worry about, for the latest The Rest is Politics newsletter.

Inspired by Alistair Campbell and Rory Stewart discussing falling around the world, and a listener's question asking what can be done about the decline, Bernice discussed how falling birth rates should not provoke panic.

Instead, policymakers should use them to devise big picture strategies to help young people have children if and when they want to, alongside creating solutions to care for older generations as they age.

Issy here. What a week. Today, we’re asking whether falling birth rates are really something to worry about - and we have a piece from esteemed Stanford academic Dan Wang on how lawyers and engineers are running the world… in very different ways.

21/05/2026

📝 The UK government's Pensions Commission interim report - it's encouraging to see CPC-CG research referenced and acknowledged in the report, which sets out the challenges that the UK's pensions system is facing to 2050.

It has been 20 years since the UK carried out a review of its system. Since then, changes have created new challenges for pensions, such as people living longer, declining birth rates, and the changing landscape of work and living arrangements.

One major issue is around the growing care needs of an population, and how this interacts with longer working lives and the financial preparations people make for older age. While the demand for informal caregiving is increasing, many individuals remain unprepared for their future long-term care needs, and policies aimed at promoting workforce participation are clashing with the realities of caregiving responsibilities.

In particular, the report cites research led by CPC-CG Co-Director Professor Maria Evandrou and CPC-CG Director Professor Jane Falkingham, with Dr Min Qin and Professor Athina Vlachantoni, which shows that policies encouraging older adults to remain in employment, such as the UK's '50 PLUS Choices', are in direct conflict with the rising reliance on informal to provide social care.

Using Understanding Society data, the study team has found that informal caregiving responsibilities significantly reduce employment participation, particularly for those providing intensive care (20+ hours per week). Older working carers face an increasing struggle to balance employment and care responsibilities, particularly as cuts to public funding for adult social care continue to shift the burden onto families.

Links in comments to more information ⬇️ ⬇️

18/05/2026

🗞️ 🗞️ CPC-CG Director Professor Jane Falkingham CBE spoke with The Telegraph about the closing gap between men's and women's longevity, following newly published Office for National Statistics data on life expectancy in the UK:

“Women are adopting a number of these male health-risk behaviours, so it’s partly because men’s life expectancy is improving, but also because women’s isn’t going up as fast. Women were just so far ahead, it’s important to remember that these increases [for men] are from a very low baseline.”

Four decades ago only one in 20 male infants was expected to become a centenarian

18/05/2026

📄 The programme for the upcoming CPC-CG Symposium is now available!

The symposium brings together researchers from the UK, Europe, and beyond to explore intergenerational change and support across a range of themes, including:

• Household and housing
• Migration and social mobility
• Community, segregation, and social cohesion
• Family and fertility
• Intergenerational exchange

We will also host a policy panel discussion to connect academic insights with broader societal and policy perspectives.

We are looking forward to a stimulating series of presentations, discussions, and opportunities for exchange across different perspectives and contexts. Many thanks to all speakers and colleagues who have helped make this programme possible.

Info: https://www.cpc.ac.uk/activities/event_calendar/1002/Centre_for_Population_Change__Connecting_Generations_Symposium_on_Intergenerational_Change_and_Support

12/05/2026

📺 ICYMI last night - CPC member Professor Brienna Perelli-Harris (Head of the Department of Social Statistics and Demography at the University of Southampton‬) was interviewed by BBC South Today about the effects of falling .

The interview appeared in an evening news feature on the effects of fewer children on local child-focused businesses. Brienna said research suggests attitudes towards having children are shifting among younger generations, based on findings from her Economic and Social Research Council‬-funded UK Generations and Gender Survey project.

On 11 May 2026, CPC member Professor Brienna Perelli-Harris (Head of the Department of Social Statistics and Demography, ) was interviewed abo...

11/05/2026

📄 A newly published ESRC Connecting Generations study shows that the way young people move from school into work has lasting effects on whether they own a home or have savings and investments by their early 30s, with family background amplifying these outcomes.

Dr Vincent Ramos, Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, said: “Our research suggests that asset inequalities are not only intergenerational, but are also increasingly emerging within the same generation, driven by the cumulative nature of early career stability and parental resources.

“Policies addressing early labour market instability and improving access to asset‑building opportunities are crucial to reducing long‑term inequality. These could include school-level initiatives that support and guide labour market entry decisions earlier in the life course, and targeted savings schemes and first-time homebuyer support.”

Find out more and access the journal article: https://www.cpc.ac.uk/news/latest_news/?story_id=785

11/05/2026

📉 In an interview about the effects of falling birth rates on local businesses, CPC member Professor Brienna Perelli-Harris, head of the Department of Social Statistics and Demography at the University of Southampton, said research suggests attitudes towards having children are shifting among younger generations:

"About 15% of the youngest cohort, the Gen Z cohort, say that they definitely don't want to have children, and that's quite different from previous generations and previous studies that have been done," she said. "Another 30% say that they probably don't or are uncertain about having kids." https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cn4pzweqdgpo

📺 Tune in to BBC South Today at 18:30 tonight to see the full news story and interview with Brienna: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006pfl4

The owners of child-focused businesses say falling birth rates are impacting their future viability.

09/05/2026

🧑‍🏫 Good morning to everyone at the Population Association of America conference in St Louis. On the final day, you can hear from CPC-CG members in these sessions 👇

Mortality levels and trends
Ridhi Kashyap (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford) will be acting as session discussant
9 May, 08:30 | Room 261

Progress or polarisation? Advances in and rights-based research following the Cairo conference
Aasli Abdi Nur (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford) with Aliakbar Akbaritabar (Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research)
9 May, 08:30 | Room 263

Meet the Editors
Ridhi Kashyap is a panellist (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford)
9 May, 10:00 | Room 101

Modelling , and changes among individuals with a family background: a multistate microsimulation approach
Hill Kulu, Sarah Christison, Andrew Ibbetson and Julia Mikolai (University of St Andrews)
9 May, 11:30 | Room 242


contact, geographical proximity, support and women's first, second, and third in the United Kingdom
Kuoshi Hu, Hill Kulu, Katherine Keenan, Julia Mikolai, Parth Pandya, Shuqi Lyu (University of St Andrews)
9 May, 11:30 | Room 230

You can find all of our CPC-CG members' involvement at from 7-9 May on our event calendar: https://www.cpc.ac.uk/activities/event_calendar/984/Population_Association_of_America_2026_Annual_Meeting

08/05/2026

🧑‍🏫 We hope all attendees are enjoying the Population Association of America conference in St Louis. Today, you can hear about CPC-CG members' research in these presentations 👇

A relational perspective on later-life : Evidence from Canada
Aasli Abdi Nur and Ridhi Kashyap (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford) et al.
8 May, 08:00 | Room 102

Moving towards equitable infrastructure and research integrity after the termination of the DHS Program
Aasli Abdi Nur (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford) et al.
8 May, 09:30 | Room 103

British ' trajectories of partnership and and midlife
Yan Zhang, Ann Berrington and Dr Seb Stannard (University of Southampton)
8 May, 11:00 | Room 105

You can find all of our CPC-CG members' involvement at from 7-9 May on our event calendar: https://www.cpc.ac.uk/activities/event_calendar/984/Population_Association_of_America_2026_Annual_Meeting