The birth rates in Europe are so low that there are now more people in Italy over 60 than under the age of 20. Greece, Spain, and Germany will all be in the same boat soon; not enough young people to support the aging population.
The everyday use of âaffectâ is the verb, meaning âto influenceâ (his methods affected me greatly), but it also means âto feignâ (he affected nonchalance). The everyday use of âeffectâ is the noun, meaning âresultâ (the effect of this has been to make him proud) or âinfluenceâ (he has had such an effect on me).
Note that affect does not have a noun sense meaning âan influence that brings about a change.â As a verb, affect is most commonly used in the sense of âto cause a change in:â the ways in which smoking affects health.ransitive verb. 1  To have an influence on or effect a change in: Inflation affects the buying power of the dollar. 2  To act on the emotions of; touch or move. 3  To attack or infect, as a disease: Rheumatic fever can affect the heart.