Browsing by Author "Peters, Paul"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Individual and ecological determinants of access to mental health services among youth: an analysis of survey and census data
    (University of New Brunswick, 2017) Dávila, María Isabel Garces; Ronis, Scott; Peters, Paul
    Mental disorders disproportionately affect adolescents and young adults, especially when one considers that the onset of most lifetime mental disorders occurs before the age of 24 (De Girolamo, Dagani, Purcell, Cocchi, & McGorry, 2012; Kessler et al., 2007). In particular, recent findings from the Canadian Community Health Survey (2012) revealed that depressive (8.2%) and substance use disorders (11.9%) were the most prevalent disorders among youth aged 15 to 24 (Pearson, Janz, & Ali, 2013). Despite high prevalence of mental disorders and a wide range of health and social problems associated with these conditions, service utilization among youth is low, with only 20 to 25% of youth who need services accessing them (Cheung & Dewa, 2007; Lyon, Ludwig, Stoep, Gudmundsen, & McCauley, 2013). In the current study, an analysis of survey (CCHS, 2012; CCHS, 2011-2012) and census (PCCF+) data was conducted to examine individual and ecological determinants to access mental health services among youth. The results indicate that individual determinants, such as having a high level of education and income, perceiving a need for care, and having a social support system are associated with greater access to services among youth, and ecological determinants, such as living in urban communities enable access to services among youth. The results from this study provide information on estimates of access to mental health care following individual and ecological variables. Implications and future directions are discussed.
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    Is the perfect the enemy of the good? the role of dietary choices, perceptions, and experiences in meat consumption patterns in the U.S.
    (University of New Brunswick, 2017) Asher, Kathryn; Peters, Paul
    Despite decades of promotion, rates of vegetarianism have changed minimally in the U.S. In part due to this slow growth rate, farmed animal advocates are divided about whether encouraging meat elimination or meat reduction (and which type) is best. Following Voltaire’s assertion that the perfect can be the enemy of the good, this research explores whether vegetarianism (the perfect) may be the enemy of the good for realizing advocates’ desired social movement outcomes in American society around meat and farmed animals. This dissertation, drawing on applied sociology and positioned at the intersection of effective altruism, social movement outcomes, the sociology of food, and dietary behaviour change, examines this research question and speaks to whether social movements should ask for intermediate steps or focus on their desired end goal. This dissertation engages with an effective animal advocacy lens—a subset of effective altruism—to study the current and future potential impact of three diets promoted to varying degrees by U.S. advocates: a vegetarian diet, a reduced-meat diet, and a chicken-free diet (per the problem of smaller-bodied animals). Quantitative methods were used to consider how these diets can help this social movement “do the most good,” a key tenet of effective altruism. Data was collected from an online censusbalanced cross-sectional sample of 30,000+ U.S. adults provided by Nielsen in 2016. Results showed a reduced-meat diet had the highest prevalence rate among American adults and the largest number of food opinion leaders based on current as well as future potential eating patterns. A reduced-meat diet was the driver for the greatest number of meat-free meals eaten each week and the largest number of adults this is spread amongst, both taking in current and future potential trends. A reduced-meat diet also had the best external perceptions among those who are not restricting their meat consumption. Lived experiences was the one exception, where a vegetarian diet had the best internal experiences among individuals currently eating one of the diets. These findings suggest that there are reasons to infer that a reduced-meat diet may best support an effective animal advocacy approach to U.S. dietary outreach.
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    New Brunswick population snapshot
    (New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, 2017) Peters, Paul
    What will the population of New Brunswick look like in the coming years? New Brunswick has one of Canada’s fastest aging populations and lowest levels of in-migration, along with declining fertility rates. A shrinking population presents a challenge to economic growth and has significant implications for other factors, such as the province’s healthcare system, tax base, and social support. Thus, population decline in New Brunswick has been a salient political concern for many years now. Researchers at the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) have been analyzing provincial population trends for a number of years. Earlier reports suggested the province’s population would continue to shift due to inter-provincial outmigration, with growth concentrated in cities through rural to urban migration. More recent reports using newly available 2016 Census data update the population statistics, accounting for the fact that New Brunswick experienced an overall population decline from 2011 to 2016. In these reassessments of population forecasts for small areas in New Brunswick, results are more negative than those of the 2017 reports – possibly due to data reflecting the sluggish provincial economy following the 2008 recession. The most current population forecasts suggest net migration is the main driver of population growth; and while the cities of Moncton and Fredericton are predicted to see population increases, the remaining areas in New Brunswick will arguably see either population decline or stagnation. The labour force is likely to follow the same trends as the general population. The authors argue that these trends could reflect a cyclical population downturn that will eventually reverse itself with renewed population growth; or they could indicate a future trend of population decline. Ongoing research may be able to tell.
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    Small-area population forecasts for New Brunswick
    (New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, 2017) Peters, Paul
    What will the population of New Brunswick look like in the coming years? New Brunswick has one of Canada’s fastest aging populations and lowest levels of in-migration, along with declining fertility rates. A shrinking population presents a challenge to economic growth and has significant implications for other factors, such as the province’s healthcare system, tax base, and social support. Thus, population decline in New Brunswick has been a salient political concern for many years now. Researchers at the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) have been analyzing provincial population trends for a number of years. Earlier reports suggested the province’s population would continue to shift due to inter-provincial outmigration, with growth concentrated in cities through rural to urban migration. More recent reports using newly available 2016 Census data update the population statistics, accounting for the fact that New Brunswick experienced an overall population decline from 2011 to 2016. In these reassessments of population forecasts for small areas in New Brunswick, results are more negative than those of the 2017 reports – possibly due to data reflecting the sluggish provincial economy following the 2008 recession. The most current population forecasts suggest net migration is the main driver of population growth; and while the cities of Moncton and Fredericton are predicted to see population increases, the remaining areas in New Brunswick will arguably see either population decline or stagnation. The labour force is likely to follow the same trends as the general population. The authors argue that these trends could reflect a cyclical population downturn that will eventually reverse itself with renewed population growth; or they could indicate a future trend of population decline. Ongoing research may be able to tell.
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    Small-area population forecasts for New Brunswick with 2016 Census Data: Cohort-component model
    (New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, 2018) Peters, Paul; Balzer, Andy; Daigle, Bethany
    What will the population of New Brunswick look like in the coming years? New Brunswick has one of Canada’s fastest aging populations and lowest levels of in-migration, along with declining fertility rates. A shrinking population presents a challenge to economic growth and has significant implications for other factors, such as the province’s healthcare system, tax base, and social support. Thus, population decline in New Brunswick has been a salient political concern for many years now. Researchers at the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) have been analyzing provincial population trends for a number of years. Earlier reports suggested the province’s population would continue to shift due to inter-provincial outmigration, with growth concentrated in cities through rural to urban migration. More recent reports using newly available 2016 Census data update the population statistics, accounting for the fact that New Brunswick experienced an overall population decline from 2011 to 2016. In these reassessments of population forecasts for small areas in New Brunswick, results are more negative than those of the 2017 reports – possibly due to data reflecting the sluggish provincial economy following the 2008 recession. The most current population forecasts suggest net migration is the main driver of population growth; and while the cities of Moncton and Fredericton are predicted to see population increases, the remaining areas in New Brunswick will arguably see either population decline or stagnation. The labour force is likely to follow the same trends as the general population. The authors argue that these trends could reflect a cyclical population downturn that will eventually reverse itself with renewed population growth; or they could indicate a future trend of population decline. Ongoing research may be able to tell.
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    Small-area population forecasts for New Brunswick with 2016 Census Data: Simplified model report
    (New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training, 2018) Peters, Paul; Balzer, Andy; Daigle, Bethany
    What will the population of New Brunswick look like in the coming years? New Brunswick has one of Canada’s fastest aging populations and lowest levels of in-migration, along with declining fertility rates. A shrinking population presents a challenge to economic growth and has significant implications for other factors, such as the province’s healthcare system, tax base, and social support. Thus, population decline in New Brunswick has been a salient political concern for many years now. Researchers at the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training (NB-IRDT) have been analyzing provincial population trends for a number of years. Earlier reports suggested the province’s population would continue to shift due to inter-provincial outmigration, with growth concentrated in cities through rural to urban migration. More recent reports using newly available 2016 Census data update the population statistics, accounting for the fact that New Brunswick experienced an overall population decline from 2011 to 2016. In these reassessments of population forecasts for small areas in New Brunswick, results are more negative than those of the 2017 reports – possibly due to data reflecting the sluggish provincial economy following the 2008 recession. The most current population forecasts suggest net migration is the main driver of population growth; and while the cities of Moncton and Fredericton are predicted to see population increases, the remaining areas in New Brunswick will arguably see either population decline or stagnation. The labour force is likely to follow the same trends as the general population. The authors argue that these trends could reflect a cyclical population downturn that will eventually reverse itself with renewed population growth; or they could indicate a future trend of population decline. Ongoing research may be able to tell.
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    The impact of English-French bilingualism on wages in Canada
    (University of New Brunswick, 2016) Pelletier, Rachelle; Peters, Paul
    Although several studies have claimed to provide evidence of a wage premium for English-French bilingual Canadians, so far only one study by Christofides and Swidinsky (2010) has distinguished between the effects of language knowledge and language use on wages. This study addresses this gap by analyzing the impact of English-French bilingualism on wages in Canada using data from the 2011 National Household Survey. The results suggest that in Quebec, employers value bilingualism regardless of whether both languages are used at work, with wage premiums ranging from 4.4 to 33.4 percent depending on gender and language use. Outside of Quebec, once occupation and industry are controlled for, no evidence is found that a wage premium exists for bilingual men, however bilingual women appear to receive a 6.2 to 13.4 percent premium if they actually use both languages at work, depending on which of the two languages is used most often.
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    The impact of population aging on per capita consumption in China
    (University of New Brunswick, 2016) Xia, Mingjin; Peters, Paul
    Chinese economy has grown rapidly since the “Reform and Opening up” policy beginning in 1978. However, in 2014, the aggregate consumption of Chinese residents was only $2,150 (US), far below the world average consumption of $5,750 (US). Meanwhile, population aging is a global problem; China ushered in the era of population aging in 2000. The purpose of this report is to examine the impact of Chinese population aging (old dependency ratio) on resident’s consumption by using China’s provincial panel data (30 provinces) from 1997-2014 and fixed effect regressions. The results show that the old dependency ratio has a positive impact on resident’s consumption in China. This means resident’s consumption will increase with population aging in China. Furthermore, results also show that Chinese resident’s consumption was influenced by internal policy change and external shock. In particular, when 2005 and 2009 used as dummy variables for analyzing the impact of China access to the WTO and the global financial crisis on China’s resident’s consumption, we found that China’s accession to the WTO has positive impact on Chinese resident’s consumption, while the global financial crisis has negative impact on Chinese resident’s consumption.