An important but largely unnoticed factor affecting the industry involves the average age of the population In all developed countries this number is rising especially in Europe and Japan The U.S. average is also increasing although not as fast This means people are living longer but perhaps more important birthrates are down as fewer children are being born per female of childbearing age In some European countries and Japan populations are actually declining due to plummeting birthrates The United states birthrate has also dropped but relatively liberal immigration policies have meant a small annual increase in the number of Americans Because treating their children may be the principal reason that most families visit amusement parks this will be a negative force influencing the long-term health of the industry Finally since amusement parks are essentially artificial destinations future success may also depend on reinventing or introducing a new sensation to top the Provious point of attraction to persuade visitors yo return year after year