本研究檢視台灣358個鄉鎮市區人口變動,是否同目前世界人口變動的社會趨勢─人口縮減伴隨著嚴重的當地社會問題。而本研究界定人口縮減與社會問題的相伴現象為「社會凋敝」。 本研究以台灣358個鄉鎮市區於2001年至2010年之「人口成長率」與相關衡量社會問題指標進行分析,包含「經濟」、「家庭」、「健康」、「治安」和「房屋使用」等,並使用空間分析模型將空間中的鄰近效應排除後,證實台灣大多數的人口縮減鄉鎮市區存在經濟弱勢與房屋廢棄的社會凋敝狀況。 但這個社會凋敝趨勢卻不適用於台北市、山區與新北市人口少於五萬之區(即過去台北縣之鄉鎮)。台北市的反都市化現象明顯,人口縮減但社會繁榮;至於大部分山區和隸屬新北市人口少於五萬的區,則是人口成長但社會問題相對嚴重。
The research surveys whether population changes in 358 countries and cities in Taiwan meet the societal trends of population changes worldwide – locations with population decline are accompanied with serious societal problems, called as “ruined societies” here. Analyzing the relations between population growth rates of Taiwan cities and countries, from 2001 to 2010, and indicators about societal problems, including economic, family, healthy, criminal and house using variables. After taking the traditional analysis and spatial analysis which crucially limiting the spatial variable - neighborhood effect, the outcomes prove that a large number of cities and countries in Taiwan with population decline show they are ruined societies for economic weakness and house ruin. But Taipei City, mountain areas and the cities in New Taipei City(former Taipei Country), where people less than 50,000, do not meet the population change trend. Taipei City has anti-urbanization, and it is prosperous society but population decline. And large part of mountain areas and cities in New Taipei City with less than 50,000 people have population growing but with serious societal problems.