From the pill crunch to the pensioner boom • 03.07.202350 years of research on demographic change at the BiB

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Answering these questions was once the impetus for founding the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB). These days it is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a variety of topics that goes far beyond that. Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser will also attend the celebratory event in Wiesbaden, as the Institute is a departmental research institution in the portfolio of the Bun ministries of the Interior and Home Affairs. "People always have children." This sentence, attributed to the former Federal Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, was considered certain for a long time in the old Federal Republic - until the birth rate abruptly collapsed at the end of the 1960s.

From 1968 to 1973, the number of newborns fell from 1,215,000 to only 816,000, a reduction of about one third. This surprised many at the time. The fact that this development affected the whole of Europe at the same time was also not easy to explain. At first, this decline was attributed to the widespread availability of the contraceptive pill and was referred to as the "pill crunch". In order to analyse the causes scientifically, the Science Council recommended that the federal government set up an institution to deal with population research issues. The decline in the birth rate 50 years ago thus marked the birth of the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB).

Research to describe and explain social change

For 50 years, the BiB has been researching demographic change from various perspectives. In the beginning, the focus was on analyses of birth patterns, ageing and mortality, but societal changes have constantly expanded the need for research. New fields of research have emerged in the areas of global population, occupational mobility, internal migration, cultural diversity, health and education. Various phases of increased immigration, such as from Syria or Ukraine, intensified international migration research. Current research at the Institute also focuses on the consequences of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany: BiB researchers analyse whether and how the labour force potential in Germany can be increased through early education, early integration or by improving the compatibility of family and work.

High quality research through scientific networking

Today, around 75 employees with diverse academic backgrounds - from sociology, economics, demography, geography, political science or medicine - work at the BiB in Wiesbaden and Berlin.

"To solve our complex task, the interaction of researchers from different disciplines is necessary," explains Prof. Dr. C. Katharina Spieß, director of the BiB since 2021. "For the highest scientific excellence, networking with national and international researchers is also very important to us."

Regular exchange with other scientists is of great importance to the BiB in order to ensure its own research quality.

Results for politics, administration and the public

The results of the BiB do not only serve the scientific research purpose, but are also made available to the federal government and the ministries. Furthermore, it is of central importance for the BiB to inform society. Thus, the Institute was involved in the preparation of the Demography Report and the implementation of the Federal Government's demography strategy.

"Evidence-based policy is central in a world full of fake news," says BiB Director C. Katharina Spieß. "This is where we fulfil our mission to conduct research according to scientific standards and provide research-based advice to policymakers or public administrators."

This is also done via the Demography Portal of the Federal Government and the Länder, which was initiated by the Federal Government as part of its demographic strategy and is editorially supervised by the BiB. Publications or digital offerings also address scientific findings to interested citizens, including current topics such as the effects of the Corona pandemic or the Ukraine war.

Pensioner boom and beyond: “Demographic change can be shaped”

Ongoing societal, social and economic changes will continue to generate new research questions for BiB researchers in the future: How is the transition of baby boomers into retirement shaping up? What are the prerequisites for healthy and successful ageing? How can a high quality of life be ensured in shrinking regions? How do families fare in times of change? How do we educate children and young people? How do we integrate people who have fled to Germany?

"These are all questions that the BiB deals with and which are of particular importance against the background of demographic change," enumerates C. Katharina Spieß.

Especially in view of the increasing ageing in Germany, she advises more creativity:

"Even if more and more older people live in our country, the future does not have to look old. Demographic change can be shaped - it depends on what we make of it."

And research at the BiB can make an important contribution to this.

Anniversary: Ceremony with scientific symposium

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) is hosting a festive ceremony in Wiesbaden at the beginning of July - together with the Federal Statistical Office, which was founded 75 years ago. Among others, Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser, OECD Secretary General Mathias Cormann, Wiesbaden's Lord Mayor Gert-Uwe Mende and Prof. Dr. Armin Grunwald (member of the German Ethics Council) will take part in the official ceremony. The new logo of the Institute will also be presented on this occasion. A three-day scientific conference on population topics with international experts as well as a symposium with the Federal Statistical Office will round off the festive programme.