Study Ties iPhone Rollout to 33-52% of US Fertility Drop Among Young Women
Updated
Updated · spectator.com · Jun 16
Study Ties iPhone Rollout to 33-52% of US Fertility Drop Among Young Women
3 articles · Updated · spectator.com · Jun 16
Summary
Economists Caitlin K. Myers and Ezekiel Hooper found smartphone adoption—tracked through the iPhone’s rollout—accounted for 33% to 52% of the US fertility decline between 2007 and 2011, with the strongest effect among the youngest women.
The study argues phones did more than cut in-person socializing: social media and dating apps reshaped incentives around self-image, relationships and childbearing, pushing young adults toward online validation and away from family formation.
Survey data in the report show that only 22% of young US adults say having children is very important for fulfillment, while one in four millennials and Gen Zers say they have ruled out children entirely.
The findings add to a broader debate over whether smartphones helped drive the post-2007 birth-rate slump in the US and elsewhere, alongside other forces such as recession-era economic stress and wider social change.