Worries about different life domains and the likelihood of having children

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that worries about economic situation and job security are associated with childbearing, but evidence is scarce whether worries about other life domains are also related to having children. Drawing on the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), we examined whether worries about different life domains were associated with the likelihood of having children in the total and childless samples, as well as separately among men and women. The results from the survival analyses suggest that worries about the economy in general, own economic situation, job security, protection of the environment and climate change, own health, and crime in Germany were related to a lower likelihood of having children. These associations remained significant after adjusting for socio-demographic characteristics and personality traits. Among people with high concerns about economy in general, the fertility rate was 22% lower compared to those who were not worried about it; whereas among people with high concerns for climate change, the fertility rate was 21% lower than for people who were not concerned about it. Our findings highlight the role of other worries in childbearing in addition to economic uncertainty and suggest that fertility decreases when the future is perceived as uncertain.