Demographic Literacy: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence on Ageing

This study introduces and operationalizes the novel concept of demographic literacy, defined as the ability to access, understand, and critically interpret demographic information and to use it for informed life-course decisions. Drawing on frameworks from other emerging literacies, we conceptualize demographic literacy as a multidimensional competence grounded in both demographic knowledge and its practical application.Empirically, we focus on demographic literacy about ageing, operationalized through the knowledge of two key demographic processes that characterize post-transitional societies: the increase in the older population and the decline in younger cohorts. Using a nationally representative survey of 1,575 adults (Ipsos–Osservatorio Senior, 2023) living in Italy - one of the world’s most aged societies - and adopting a Machine Learning (ML) approach, we examine the socio-demographic patterns of demographic knowledge about ageing. Results reveal that nearly one-third of respondents lack basic knowledge of population ageing, with marked educational and economic gradients: low education and low income significantly reduce the probability of correct understanding and reinforce each other in predicting demographic illiteracy. The pronounced social gradient in demographic knowledge limits the capacity of some groups to apply it, reducing their potential to convert knowledge into agency. These findings call for policies that promote demographic literacy as a lever for inclusion, empowering citizens to better understand and respond to population change.