Reviving the Demographic Study of the Amish

The Amish exhibit distinctive demographic patterns, notably high fertility. While scholars have studied Amish population dynamics for more than a half century, recent research in this area is limited. We believe the time is ripe to reverse this trend. This article reviews data collection methods, points to a variety of accessible sources of new data, presents some preliminary results from the analysis of one such source (the McKune dataset for Holmes County, Ohio), introduces the research agenda and work of the newly formed Amish Population Research Group, and reviews past demographic findings to situate our agenda. An invitation is extended to demographers, social scientists, health researchers, and others to enter into collaborations with APRG

Reviving the Demographic Study of the Amish

The Amish exhibit distinctive demographic patterns, notably high fertility. While scholars have studied Amish population dynamics for more than a half century, recent research in this area is limited. We believe the time is ripe to reverse this trend. This article reviews data collection methods, points to a variety of accessible sources of new data, presents some preliminary results from the analysis of one such source (the McKune dataset for Holmes County, Ohio), introduces the research agenda and work of the newly formed Amish Population Research Group, and reviews past demographic findings to situate our agenda. An invitation is extended to demographers, social scientists, health researchers, and others to enter into collaborations with APRG

Amish Population Pyramids: Demographic Patterns across Affiliations in the Holmes County, Ohio, Settlement

Research indicates demographic trends within the Amish community remain stable over time, even as Amish populations proliferate. However, most of the research on demographic trends fails to examine variation across affiliations. We use data from Ohio Amish Directory, Holmes County and Vicinity, 2010 to construct age-sex population pyramids for three different affiliations. Population pyramids render the growth, decline, and stability of populations visible. Andy Weaver (or Dan) and Old Order churches present expanding pyramids implying rapid growth, while New Order churches render a stationary pyramid indicating slower growth. Sociologists of religion consistently find that strict churches, cultivating separation from the outside world, tend to grow faster than those that foster accommodation with the outside world. We argue that the data presented in this article suggests a similar dynamic at work in Plain Anabaptist communities

Providing Spatial Data for Secondary Analysis: Issues and Current Practices Relating to Confidentiality

Spatially explicit data pose a series of opportunities and challenges for all the actors involved in providing data for long-term preservation and secondary analysis—the data producer, the data archive, and the data user. We report on opportunities and challenges for each of the three players, and then turn to a summary of current thinking about how best to prepare, archive, disseminate, and make use of social science data that have spatially explicit identification. The core issue that runs through the paper is the risk of the disclosure of the identity of respondents. If we know where they live, where they work, or where they own property, it is possible to find out who they are. Those involved in collecting, archiving, and using data need to be aware of the risks of disclosure and become familiar with best practices to avoid disclosures that will be harmful to respondents.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/60426/1/spatial data.confidentiality.fulltext.pd