Societal Pessimism and the Transition to Parenthood
A Future Too Bleak to Have Children
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4120769 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Katya Ivanova (0000-0002-8823-9766, corresponding author), Nicoletta Balbo (0000-0002-1949-1933, Tilburg University) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 323-342 |
| Publication date | 2024-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Population and Development Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0098-7921 • E-ISSN: 1728-4457 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/padr.12620 |
| OpenAlex | W4393077765 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 15 |
| References cited | 43 |
Contemporary adults often cite economic uncertainty, global warming, and increasing inequality as reasons for intending not to have children. Despite extensive research on the impact of societal pessimism on attitudes towards out-group members, political preferences, and voting behaviors, its impact on demographic behaviors, such as fertility, has received little attention. This study examines the relationship between societal pessimism-captured through individuals' negative perception of the future of the next generation-and their likelihood of becoming a parent. Using data from the Dutch Longitudinal Internet studies for the Social Sciences (LISS), we use discrete-time event history models to estimate the probability of becoming a parent in a given year based on respondents' self-reported negative assessment of the future of the next generation in six distinct areas. Our results demonstrate that perceiving the future of the coming generation as worse than today is associated with a lower probability of becoming a parent. These findings suggest that surveys aimed at understanding fertility behaviors should incorporate questions about individuals' perceptions of the future, in addition to their own contemporaneous conditions
Economics · Epistemology · Pessimism · Sociology · Transition (genetics · Family Dynamics and Relationships · Family Support in Illness · Optimism, Hope, and Well-being · Philosophy · Psychology
“Think about it all the time”. Reproductive cues in a late and low fertility setting
If Not Now, When? Thinking about Childbearing in Ukrainian Cities during Russia's Full‐Scale Invasion
Changes in fruit and vegetable consumption during the transition to parenthood
Cartografias do desalento
Do Environmentalists Forgo Parenthood? A Life Course Perspective on Fertility Expectations and Behaviors in the UK
It’s time to take the antinatalist variable seriously
Loneliness and Societal Pessimism
Attitudes towards childbearing, population, and the environment
Too worried about the environment to have children? Or more worried about the environment after having children
Women’s Reproductive Health Conditions and Fertility Goals
Narrations of non-motherhood
The Rollercoaster of Subjective Well-Being in Times of Multiple Crises
Trends in fertility preferences among Italian young adults
Examining the Gender Equality-Fertility Paradox in Three Nordic Countries
Climate change worries and fertility intentions
The culture of fear
Uncertainty and Narratives of the Future
Why do people postpone parenthood? Reasons and social policy incentives
Multilevel Models for Longitudinal Data
The development of markers for the Big-Five factor structure.
Cultural Pessimism
The Economic Approach to Human Behavior
The impact of narratives of the future on fertility intentions in Norway
The Second Demographic Transition Theory
To Have or Not to Have a Child? Perceived Constraints on Childbearing in a Lowest‐Low Fertility Context
Data Collection in a Probability-Based Internet Panel
Parenthood and Well‐Being
No future, no kids–no kids, no future
Environmental concern and fertility intentions among Canadian university students
The Impact of Perceived Costs and Rewards of Childbearing on Entry into Parenthood
The Great Recession and Fertility in Europe
Discrete-Time Methods for the Analysis of Event Histories
A reflection on economic uncertainty and fertility in Europe
Fertility Reactions to the "Great Recession" in Europe
The fertility response to the Great Recession in Europe and the United States
Risk society
The appeal of nostalgia
The Consequences of Collective Discontent
Modeling Household Decisions Using Longitudinal Data from Household Panel Surveys, with Applications to Residential Mobility
Childbearing in Italy and Spain
Choosing Childlessness
Spreading Uncertainty, Shrinking Birth Rates
The Public Acceptance of Voluntary Childlessness in the Netherlands
| Unique citing works | 15 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 15 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 15 |