Demographics

Demographics vs Demography

The term demographics as a noun is often used erroneously in place of demography, the study of human population and its structure and change. Although there is no absolute delineation, ('demographic' as an adjective can indeed refer to either (e.g., demographic transition), demography focuses on population dynamics, whereas demographics is most often used in the fields of media studies, advertising, marketing, and polling, and should not be used interchangeably with the term "demography" or (more broadly) "population studies."

Demographic variables

Marketers and other social scientists often group populations into categories based on demographic variables. The most frequently used demographic variables are:

    * Age

    * Sex / Gender

    * Race/ Ethnicity

    * Location of residence

    * Socioeconomic status (SES)

    * Religion

    * Marital status

    * Ownership (home, car, pet, etc.)

    * Language

    * Mobility

    * Life cycles (fertility, mortility, migration)

Demographic profiles in marketing

Marketers typically combine several variables to define a demographic profile. A demographic profile (often shortened to "a demographic") provides enough information about the typical member of this group to create a mental picture of this hypothetical aggregate. For example, a marketer might speak of the single, female, middle-class, age 18 to 24 demographic.

Marketing researchers typically have two objectives in this regard: first to determine what segments or subgroups exist in the overall population; and secondly to create a clear and complete picture of the characteristics of a typical member of each of these segments. Once these profiles are constructed, they can be used to develop a marketing strategy and marketing plan.

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