Do Religious and Nonreligious People Form Fertility Intentions Differently? Evidence From Poland

Christoph Bein , Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)
Monika Mynarska, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University
Anne H. Gauthier, Netherlands Interdisciplinary Demographic Institute (NIDI)

The aim of this study is to examine the interplay between religiosity and perceived benefits and costs of having children in regard to fertility intentions. One of the reasons why religious people are more likely to intend to have a(nother) child might be related to religious people attaching more values to childbearing. Additionally, costs related to childbearing might be less relevant for them, as they believe that a higher power will support them in raising their children and protect them from any negative consequences of parenthood. Our dataset consists of the second wave of the Polish GGS. Our results indicate that part of the effect of religiosity on fertility intentions can be explained by religious people perceiving more benefits of having children. Furthermore, among women, the negative effect of perceived costs on fertility intentions is much less pronounced for the more religious than for the less religious.

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 Presented in Session 10. Fertility, Family Planning, Sexual Behavior & Reproductive Health 2