NIDI’s mission is to conduct high-quality scientific research on population issues (our core activity) and to disseminate and enhance the use of demographic knowledge to stakeholders in academia, policy and society at large. We build and maintain a knowledge infrastructure for population issues to address the challenges that demographic developments pose to individuals and society. Population growth and decline, mobility and population distribution, population ageing and population diversity, life course dynamics, intergenerational relations, and health and longevity are but a few of the dimensions of the ever-changing landscape of population issues which make up the population challenge. Demographic research is needed to address this challenge and to study population trends and their impacts on economic development, the environment, social networks, social cohesion, health and care systems, retirement and social security issues, family life and wellbeing.
NIDI’s aim is to create and share demographic knowledge and to enhance the use of this knowledge. Knowledge creation demands a creative combination of existing knowledge (theories), new empirical evidence (data) and methods of scientific enquiry. Knowing the facts (“what”), the determinants (“why”), the consequences (“so what”) and the underlying mechanisms that link causes and observed trends (“how”) is the best approach to take on the population challenge.
NIDI’s vision is to further strengthen our position as a unique national and leading international institute for population studies. At the national level we aspire to play a vocal role in the scientific debate and societal discussions on population issues, while at the international level we want to secure our position as center of excellence in the context of the ongoing globalization of society.
NIDI research
- is driven by societal issues, scientific curiosity and a demand for knowledge
- is interdisciplinary and international
- integrates basic and applied studies
- stresses the micro-foundations of population change, and
- has a clear focus that captures the ultimate cause of population change: ‘Lives in Contexts’.
