The Societies of Europe - The European Population since 1945

Description of the Data on CD-ROM

Introduction

by Franz Rothenbacher

As a supplement to the handbook, the CD-ROM provides data for further analyses of demographic developments, population and household structures in Western and East-Central Europe. The CD-ROM includes not only the printed country tables in computerized form, it also contains additional data tables with basic data on demographic developments that may be used for specific research purposes and statistical analyses. Thus, with the help of the CD-ROM, the reader can study population questions with respect to main trends in demographic developments, the population by size and composition according to region, sex, age and marital status, shifts in the population structure and the composition of households—for individual countries or comparatively.
Before using the CD-ROM, the reader should first consult the handbook. The General Introduction (Chapter I.1) presents the background and history of the project and outlines the overall structure of the handbook. Especially, the introductory chapter Demographic Measures and Demographic Statistics (Chapter I.6) presents the main concepts and methods used for the collection and analysis of demographic data covered in the tables and the graphs. Four introductory chapters on Population and Territory, Population Growth and Demographic Transition, Marriage, Legitimacy, Divorce, and Households and Families (Chapter I.2–I.5), examine the main trends from 1945 to the present and cross-national differences between European population movements, as well as providing comparative tables. For analyses of particular countries, the handbook’s Country Profiles (Chapter II.1–II.21) introduce the reader to state formation and territorial changes, population structures and movements, and the systems of national demographic statistics. Statistical sources and relevant literature are listed in one Bibliography at the end of the volume. All tables of the individual country profiles are included on the CD-ROM, but graphs are presented in the book only. Finally, we have standardized the numbering, indicators, and presentation of the Country Tables and Figures.

Table CD Tables and time series on CD-ROM (Excel)

The handbook provides important background information for the use of the data contained on the CD-ROM. To make proper use of the electronic tables and databases included, users of the electronic version are asked to consult the handbook, in particular the sections ‘State and Territory’, ‘The National System of Demographic Statistics’ and ‘Boundary Changes’. The CD-ROM thus complements, but does not substitute for the handbook, while it also includes a wealth of supplementary data. Besides the computer-readable tables which are included in the handbook, additional tables on population developments that could not be published due to space limitations are included on the CD-ROM. The data comprise the absolute values used for calculating the demographic indicators (annual data for mid-year population, live births, deaths, marriages, divorces, etc.). This additional database allows further analysis by the reader, be it research on the demographic development of one individual country, or new comparative analyses of some selected variables.

Coverage

The handbook and CD-ROM cover all Western European countries, plus the East-Central European countries of Czechoslovakia, the Czech and Slovak Republics, Hungary and Poland. With regard to Germany, time series are included for the German Empire, West Germany, East Germany, and reunified Germany. On this CD-ROM the complete time series from 1850 to 2000 have been included. Therefore all the information available on the CD-ROM of Population I is also available on this CD-ROM, with one exception: the population structure by sex, marital status and age is only available on the CD-ROM accompanying Population I. It is mainly national data that are presented in the handbook and on the CD-ROM. The only exception to this rule are regional data on the population distribution by region and the population density by region. On the CD-ROM, users will find easy access to these national areas by clicking on the left banner:

Type of information

The CD-ROM provides information on four main aspects of population structure and development for each country, or at the regional level.

Types of data

The following types of data are available on this CD-ROM; they allow browsing, printing, and/or further computation depending on the data format:

The CD-ROM brochure explains how to install and run the programmes on the CD-ROM, and how to launch the menu-driven (hyperlinks) interface that leads users through the different options. Links allow easy access to the different types of information and files. We hope that the CD-ROM fosters further in-depth comparative or individual country analyses, and can be easily amended and updated for future research by users.

Acknowledgements

The country tables were compiled by the author with the help of many librarians and students; their contribution is gratefully recognized in the Preface to this volume. The data collection was partly founded on an older database which is also acknowledged in the Preface. The author developed the structure of the database and collected the data. Furthermore, the author designed the basic structure of the CD-ROM, developed its content, and constructed its databases. I thank Birgit Becker for programming the interface of the first CD-ROM which has also been used in this CD-ROM.