Demographics
dem-uh-GRAF-iks
/ˌdɛməˈɡræfɪks/
Statistical data relating to the population and particular groups within it.
Demographics typically include characteristics like age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and location. Marketers use this data to segment audiences and tailor campaigns.
The story behind the word. The word 'demographics' is a blend of two ancient Greek roots: 'demos,' meaning 'people,' and 'graphein,' meaning 'to write' or 'to describe.' So, demographics is literally the 'description of people,' referring to the statistical data that describes populations. It emerged in the mid-19th century to describe the study of human populations.
Word relationships
- Population statistics: More descriptive, less technical.
- Audience data: Specific to media and marketing contexts.
Commonly confused with
- Psychographics: Psychographics deal with psychological attributes like personality, values, attitudes, interests, and lifestyles, whereas demographics are statistical population data.
Word family
- demographic (adjective): Relating to the structure of populations.
Collocations
- target demographics
- changing demographics
- population demographics
- demographic data
- demographic trends
Example sentences
- "Our target demographics for this product are young adults aged 18-25 with disposable income." A market research report.
- "Changes in national demographics have significant implications for social policy and economic planning." A sociological study.
- "Understanding the demographics of a voting district is crucial for tailoring political messages effectively." A political campaign analysis.
Memory hook
DEMO-GRAPHICS: Think of a 'DEMOnstration' of 'GRAPHICS' showing data about people. People's statistics.
When not to use
Do not use 'demographics' to refer to individual characteristics or qualitative data like opinions or attitudes; it's about statistical population data.
Fun facts
- The term 'demography' was first coined by Achille Guillard in 1855.
- Beyond marketing, demographics are vital for urban planning, public health, and government policy.
Explore more words
demographic, segment, Characteristics, cohort, Statistics, census
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