Connections, Demographic & Cultural Characteristics (Edexcel A Level Geography)

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Regional & National Influences on Place Characteristics

  • Regional and national influences shape the demographic and cultural characteristics of places, both through past and present connections

  • Transport connections

    • Larger settlements often have multiple transport routes e.g. motorways, rail 

      • Liverpool, located in North-west England, has significant road, rail and ferry networks

IMAGE

Transport infrastructure of Liverpool

  • Smaller or more peripheral settlements often have fewer major road and rail connections 

    • Lerwick, located in Shetland, is relatively isolated as it has no rail service or motorways

    • The transport infrastructure consists of a road network, a ferry terminal, bus routes and an airport

IMAGE

Transport infrastructure of Lerwick

  • Physical characteristics

    • The surrounding landscape can shape the character of a place

    • Coastal settlements can form trade connections with other coastal settlements e.g. Liverpool’s location on the River Mersey allowed easy trade with and access from Ireland

      • This contributed to a history of Irish migration to Liverpool, widening its cultural diversity

    • Physically isolated places, such as Lerwick, experience less trade and immigration, which can limit cultural diversity

  • Industrial development

    • Places can have strong historical associations with certain industries e.g.

      • Fishing has been the main industry in Lerwick, since the 17th century 

      • Liverpool was an important hub for textile imports during the Industrial Revolution

  • National policies

    • Different migration policies may impact the demographics 

      • For example, the Windrush Generation - immigrants arriving from the Caribbean (as well as other Commonwealth countries) to fill labour shortages after World War II, around 15% settled in Liverpool

    • The Northern Powerhouse Initiative is a scheme designed to boost economic growth and productivity in northern cities through improved transport links, and investment in science, innovation and culture

      • The government awarded a £35 million grant to the Liverpool2 port programme to enable larger container ships to dock at Liverpool

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The Specification expects you to study two places to examine the past and present connections that have shaped their demographic and cultural characteristics. You should have first-hand experience of one place and the other place should be significantly different.

Here are some enquiry questions and data sources you could use to examine the regional and national connections which have shaped the demographic and cultural characteristics of your chosen places.

Scale

Enquiry questions

Data sources

Regional

How well are the places connected in terms of the transport infrastructure?

Are there major settlements nearby and how do they impact the places?

What are the local authority’s policies on development?

What are the political motivations of the local councils? 

How strong is the sense of community? 

What are the pressures for change regionally?

OS maps / public transport timetables

Consider commuting, accessing services and leisure

Local authority and regional enterprise zone websites

Last local election results / Social media

Local newspapers / social media

Local newspapers / social media

National

What are the political motivations of the national government? 

What are the pressures for change nationally and how does it affect the place?

How do the places compare with national averages of wealth and deprivation

How accessible are the places to important economic hubs?

Last general election results

Newspapers / social media

Look at the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) results

Impact on people

  • All places have a perceived image, which shapes people’s view of the place as either positive or negative 

    • Liverpool could be perceived as a modern, busy place, where there is lots to do

    • Lerwick could be perceived as being very remote (12-hour ferry trip from Aberdeen) with few services 

  • These images and perceptions can affect the lives of students and other groups of people:

    • Students might not want to study at a university due to their perception of the place

    • Young people may feel they want to leave a place with a less positive image 

    • Places with more positive images tend to attract more people (internal and international migration)

    • There are likely to be more job opportunities in places with positive images as companies are also attracted to them

  • Continuity (things staying the same) and change affect people in different ways

  • Deindustrialisation can have a number of impacts including:

    • Higher levels of unemployment

    • The connection between people (who worked in the industry) and local industries can remain strong even after the industry has disappeared e.g. the steel industry in Middlesbrough

    • If the abandoned buildings remain, with no development, young people and migrants often perceive the area as run-down with fewer economic opportunities

    • Development of the area may attract migrants, with a wider set of skills, in search of employment opportunities

    • Older workers with the original, older industrial skill set may resent the new forms of industry and the migrants

  • Migration

    • With new economic development, places can attract a younger and more ethnically diverse population

    • Some people may welcome this diversity and learn more about the different cultures

    • Other people may not like the change in the demographics of the local area and oppose immigration

    • As urban centres become more crowded, wealthier people move out of these areas 

  • Inner city regeneration

    • Between the 1960s and the 1980s, the UK authorities demolished terraced housing, replacing them with high-rise flats to cope with the increased demand for housing

    • Many people felt more isolated from one another in these tower blocks, which reduced the sense of community

    • During the 1990s, new developments replaced the tower blocks, some of which were experiencing structural decay due to the rushed construction

    • Inner city areas are undergoing regeneration (funded by the UK government) to create sustainable developments combining housing, leisure and business and improve community spirit 

  • Improving broadband and mobile infrastructure

    • The rollout of a more efficient broadband and mobile infrastructure has enabled more businesses to operate from rural areas

    • It has also encouraged more young people to stay in villages

    • It allows people to work from home and reduces the need to commute to urban centres

  • Diversification

    • Some farmers choose to diversify their farmland e.g.

      • Generating renewable energy (solar farms)

      • Building new holiday accommodation for tourists

      • Offering leisure pursuits (alpaca trekking, quad biking)

    • This has created new employment opportunities in rural areas, especially for younger people 

    • Rural places experiencing this diversification will attract more young people

  • Growth of commuter villages 

    • As rural villages grow due to counter-urbanisation, they begin to lose their rural character e.g. increased housing density

    • Urban incomers may retain their urban focus, spending a lot of their time and money in the city

    • Some long-term residents of these rural villages may resent these changes and the new arrivals

International & Global Influences

  • International and global influences can also shape the demographics and cultural characteristics of places 

    • Demographics and cultural characteristics may change if there is free movement of migration

  • Transnational corporations (TNCs) may set up part of their business in an area, creating jobs and enhancing the local economy

    • Global companies, like Unilever and Princes Food, have headquarters in Liverpool 

  • Globalisation and TNCs have contributed to deindustrialisation with the global shift in manufacturing to emerging and developing countries

    • In these countries, wages are lower and working hours are longer, so TNCs make more profit

    • The global shift in the manufacturing industry led to the decline in coal, glass and vehicle manufacturing, and shipbuilding in Liverpool and the surrounding area of Merseyside 

    • Liverpool’s workforce was 30% smaller in 1990 compared to the 1970s, due to deindustrialisation 

      • Liverpool’s population declined annually by 2% over this period

  • International migration

    • The free movement of people gave European Union (EU) citizens the right to travel, live and work in any EU country

      • 2.5% of Liverpool's population are EU migrants (predominantly Polish)

      • In Lerwick, when the fish processing factory is in full production, the staffing numbers double

        • These temporary roles are mainly filled by seasonal workers from the EU

    • International migration influences a place through food, music, language and religions e.g.

      • The Al-Rahma mosque in Liverpool holds up to 2500 worshippers, reflecting the religious diversity within the city

      • In Lerwick, there is still evidence of Norse (Viking) influences in the area, such as the names of places, geographical features and birds

        • The Viking and Norse heritage is celebrated annually with the Up Helly Aa celebration in January

  • Global competition may cause a place to experience economic decline

    • E.g. In 2010, the mackerel fishing industry in Lerwick faced strong competition, when Iceland’s government increased the fishing quota, allowing Icelandic fishermen to catch higher volumes of fish

  • Tourism can increase the number of international visitors when a place advertises its unique features

    • For 317,156 people visit The Beatles Story exhibition in Liverpool every year, with 60% coming from overseas

  • International transport connections make places more accessible and attractive to TNCs

    • E.g. Liverpool John Lennon Airport connects the city to 23 countries across Europe, North Africa and the Middle East; handling over 5 million people every year

  • Cultural and sporting events

    • Large events can help shape the culture of a place and raise its cultural profile.

    • E.g. Liverpool is home to the World Museum (displaying artefacts from around the world) and was awarded the European Capital of Culture in 2008

      • This positive image has resulted in Liverpool being the fifth most visited UK city by international tourists

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The Specification expects you to study two places to examine the past and present connections that have shaped their demographic and cultural characteristics. You should have first-hand experience of one place and the other place should be significantly different.

Here are some enquiry questions and data sources you could use to examine the global and international connections which have shaped the demographic and cultural characteristics of your chosen places.

Scale

Enquiry questions

Data sources

Global

  • Are any global brands (TNCs) present – retail outlets, factories and offices?

  • Does the place attract global tourists? 

  • How well connected to the internet are your places?

  • Field observation

  • Tourist information centres/visitor numbers

  • Broadband speed tests 

International

  • Are the places directly affected by specific government/EU policies or designations? 

  • Is the place ‘twinned’ with a location abroad? Why was that place chosen? 

  • How do the places compare with international averages of wealth and deprivation? 

  • Look for signs in an area showing players involved 

  • Use the local authority websites

  • Use a website e.g. OECD.stat 

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Make sure you can distinguish between the scales of influence (regional, national, international and global) and where possible indicate which scale has had the most influence on the place and why.

  • Regional: the political viewpoint of the local authority e.g. Shetland Council was strongly opposed to Brexit due to the amount of seasonal EU migrants it needs for the fishing industry

  • National: impact of policies from the central government, or expansion/demise of a business that has a national presence e.g. closure of glass factories in Liverpool due to industrialisation

  • International: impact of EU policies or international trade agreements  e.g. Some Shetland fishermen were in favour of Brexit and the removal of fishing quotas established by the EU Common Agricultural Policy 

  • Global: impact of TNCs in the area or impact of migration e.g. Unilever headquarters in Liverpool employs 1500 people

Worked Example

Assess whether places are impacted more by global or national influences

[12 marks]

  • Start by defining global and national influences

  • Identify key players (stakeholders) and explain their influence on places

  • Explain how places might be affected by national influences, referring to specific places, such as Liverpool and Lerwick, or the places you have studied

  • Explain how places might be affected by global influences, referring to specific places, such as Liverpool and Lerwick, or the places you have studied

  • Write a conclusion that states whether places are impacted more by global or national influences

    • This should be based on your personal opinion, but also needs to draw on evidence used within your answer

Answer:

A place's demographic and cultural characteristics are influenced by both national and global factors. Places can be influenced nationally by policies of the central government or a change in the structure of a national business (expansion or closures in that place). Global factors are at a much larger scale (e.g. International migration) and highlight the connections between countries. These influences include the movement of people, capital, information and resources; and can make places more demographically and culturally diverse, whilst other places remain less dynamic.

One of the most important players that can influence a place is the national government, through their policies and decisions. Different migration policies can impact the demographics of a population. For example, immigrants arriving from the Caribbean (known as the Windrush Generation) were given the right to live and work in the UK, which helped fill labour shortages and rebuild the economy after World War II. Around 15% of these immigrants settled in Liverpool, introducing their culture, food and music to the area. The national government can also develop schemes to encourage economic growth and productivity in different regions, including the Northern Powerhouse Initiative’s focus on northern cities like Liverpool. This scheme is designed to improve transport links, and investment in science, innovation and culture. These improvements will encourage economic growth, attracting more migrants to these areas. However, recent data shows that Liverpool’s net internal migration is -1152, which suggests that the Northern Powerhouse scheme might not be completely successful yet. This net migration might also be a reflection of Liverpool’s limited transport links to other urban areas; for instance, it will not be a key part of the government’s HS2 high speed railway line. 

The national government also has the potential to negatively influence an area. Lerwick’s main source of income is based on the fishing industry, from catching the fish to processing them in a factory. During the busiest periods, the processing factory needs to double the amount of staff, which was seasonally sourced from the EU. Brexit will make this seasonal migration harder, which could negatively affect production in Lewick and reduce economic output. The impact of Brexit is one of the possible reasons for Lerwick’s net international migration of -50 and its limited ethnic diversity (only 3% of the population identifies as non-white). 

Global influences also play a part in shaping a place, such as globalisation and global competition. In Liverpool, between the 1970s and 1990s, the workforce shrank by 20% due to deindustrialisation. The global shift in the manufacturing industry, to developing and emerging countries, led to the decline in coal, glass and vehicle manufacturing, and shipbuilding in Liverpool and the surrounding area of Merseyside. This led to people moving away from Liverpool, reducing the population annually by 2% over this period. However, whilst manufacturing declined in the UK, the quaternary sector (e.g. knowledge based industries) grew, encouraged by the decisions of the UK’s government. TNCs have established their headquarters in the UK to take advantage of the skilled workforce, which has created jobs and enhanced the local economies. Global companies, like Unilever and Princes Food, have headquarters in Liverpool, employing over 1500 people. These employment opportunities have led to a high proportion of younger working aged people in Liverpool, which is evident in its population pyramid. 

The EU’s policies have also impacted places within the UK. For instance, fishermen in Lerwick had quotas placed upon them by the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. These quotas limited their catch and therefore their income. Due to Brexit, these quotas have been removed and Lerwick fishermen can now fish more competitively. As Leriwck’s main economy is the fishing industry, there are slightly more working aged men than women living there. 

In conclusion, both national and global players influence a place. However, I believe that the UK government (a national player) ultimately has the greatest impact on places through their policies and decisions. For example, globalisation and industrialisation created a decline in the UK’s manufacturing, which led to the UK’s government encouraging the quaternary sector to develop and boost the economy of different places, such as Liverpool. This has led to cities attracting younger, working age people to move there, as well as international migrants, which alter the cultural and demographic characteristics of a place.

Impacts of Demographic & Cultural Changes on Identity

  • Demographic and cultural changes in an area can affect the lives of people and influence their identity

  • Where people share similar ideals and values, a community (with shared beliefs and a way of life) can form and create a collective identity

  • This collective identity becomes connected to a place, so changes to a place can affect how people view themselves

  • Any changes to the place can impact how people view themselves and alter their sense of belonging to that community

    • Some people embrace the change (e.g. increasing diversity)

    • Other people may feel that the original identity of a place has been lost 

  • Migration to a place can change the sense of community

    • If a place is economically successful, it can attract more migrants, leading to a more diverse community

    • Migrants bring their own cultures (beliefs, values, way of life), which can enhance the local community

    • The mixing of cultures can make people more tolerant and open-minded:

      • In Liverpool, Chinatown celebrates the long history of Chinese immigration to the city through its unique architecture and authentic restaurants

      • Despite the limited ethnic diversity in Lerwick, it embraces its Nordic heritage through the Nordic street names and annual Viking festival

    • However, local people may feel their community is being eroded by the addition of new cultures

    • If there is a strong place identity, an influx of migrants could weaken this

      • Feelings of cultural erosion can lead to racial tension between different ethnic groups

      • E.g. the 1981 Toxteth riots highlighted how Black people felt about being targeted by stop and search tactics of the police

      • The riots were exacerbated by the poverty and deprivation experienced by the residents of Toxteth (which has a high percentage of ethnic minorities and unemployed)

    • Industrial change 

      • If the function of a place changes, old industries may close down and be replaced by new industries

      • This could lead to a divided community between those people who can work in the new economy and those who have lost their jobs

      • The rise in inequality can affect the identity of people in the area, as the people who are now unemployed may feel isolated

Examiner Tips and Tricks

The Specification expects you to study two places to consider how demographic and cultural changes have influenced people’s identity. You should have first-hand experience of one place and the other place should be significantly different.

Here are some enquiry questions and data sources you could use to examine recent demographic and cultural changes.

Enquiry questions

Source

Have the populations of your places changed over the last intercensal period; if so, how?

2011 and 2021 census

To what extent has population change been the result of migration?

2021 census

What cultural changes are evident?

Field survey 

Web searches for services catering for minority groups

Has the mix of socioeconomic groups changed?

Office for National Statistics (ONS)

2011 and 2021 census

Are demographic and cultural changes significantly changing the type of people living in the places?

Office for National Statistics (ONS)

2011 and 2021 census

In your opinion is the area developing or in decline?

House prices

Social media


Field surveys:

Developing evidence - gentrification, improved quality of houses, cafes and shops

Declining evidence - deteriorating / vacant housing, empty retail outlets

In what ways have recent demographic and cultural changes impacted on the identity of local residents and the place?

Oral accounts or interviews of different groups of people e.g.

White British

Other ethnic origin

Secondary school students

Adults with children living at home

Retired people


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