What is this newsletter about?

This is a newsletter about how to read the world, delivered in bite-sized chunks for the information-overloaded.

If you like data (especially if you’re the kind of person who occasionally shouts, “fun fact!”) this is the place for you. There’s a number of the week and colorful charts and graphs, but the real value-added is what the newsletter does with the numbers, taking it a step deeper to understand the data in context and what it really means for our political, economic, and social dynamics.

The newsletter comes out twice a month and takes less than 10 minutes to read. It’s my goal to quickly arm you with new angles on the day’s news and have you ready to contribute to your staff meeting, chat up a friend over cocktails, or get curious enough to dive into the research yourself. Subscribe to get full access to the newsletter.

Why now?

The last time world population hit a billion milestone was in 2011. As of November 2022 we are a planet of 8 billion for the first time in history, so it’s a big deal.

Where are we? Who are we? And why does it matter? Subscribe to find out.

Join the community

My research agenda and writing are shaped by real-world events. What demographic topic do you wish you knew more about? Are you a researcher hoping to share your work more broadly? Subscribe to be part of a community of people who share your interests and email me to let me know what demographic topics you’re curious about.

I also love to connect on social media. Find me on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Why me?

I’m the author of 8 Billion and Counting: How Sex, Death, and Migration Shape Our World, plus numerous academic books, articles, and book chapters. I am passionate about translating academic research for broader audiences, which I’ve done for The Washington Post, USA Today, the LA Times, and more. I thought a newsletter would be the ideal way to bring political demography research to more people.

You can read more about my professional life here.