Center for Family and Demographic Research

Project Abstract The Center for Family and Demographic Research (CFDR) at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) seeks an administrative supplement from the Population Dynamics Centers Research Infrastructure program (P2C).

The CFDR?s research aligns with the Population Dynamics Branch strategic goals, and this administrative supplement will permit the CFDR to continue to engage in innovative and high-impact scientific work in population research that improves population health and well-being as it seeks additional funding.

Since the last application, the CFDR?s Primary Research Areas (PRAs) have been adjusted to better reflect the strengths of its affiliates, and there are now three PRAs: (1) Fertility and Family Demography; (2) Social Relationships and Health; and (3) Social Contexts of Deviance, Crime, and Violence.

The goals of this administrative supplement will be achieved through the following two specific aims: (1) support top-notch, innovative research in three focused PRAs, and (2) stimulate new research and grant activities via working groups that correspond with the PRAs. The newly invigorated working groups will facilitate new research teams and foster new research projects.

This aim will be overseen by both the Administrative and Development Cores of the CFDR.

The CFDR is comprised of a dedicated and collaborative group of affiliates across disciplines (sociology, criminology, psychology, economics, human development and family science, applied statistics, educational policy, social work, gerontology) and at varying career stages.

The activities made possible by the administrative supplement will ensure the CFDR can continue to build its publication and grant portfolio, encourage interdisciplinary teams, and develop junior scholars while simultaneously focusing its research on the strengths of the affiliates.

Without additional support from P2C for the upcoming year while the CFDR renewal application is under review, research on topics ranging from fertility during the pandemic, parenting stress, intimate partner violence, adolescent development, intergenerational support, parental incarceration, relationship stability, and sexual and diverse families would not be possible.

Additionally, the CFDR?s contributions to demography in the form of its careful attention to measurement of key concepts, such as cohabitation, sexual and gender identity, and fertility behaviors, would be severely curtailed without additional support.

CFDR continues to receive strong institutional support, with investments that far exceed the funds in the administrative supplement for the upcoming year.

The primary anticipated benefit of continued NIH support for the CFDR is very clear: fostering top-quality demographic research by a committed intellectual community of population scholars working together within a cohesive population center.