Study on the Influence of Internet Use on Residents' Fertility Intentions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54691/z574wm86Keywords:
Internet Use; Fertility Intentions; Raising Children for Old Age.Abstract
Against the dual backdrop of China's persistently low fertility rate and the rapid increase in internet penetration, exploring the impact of internet use on fertility intentions and its underlying mechanisms holds significant practical importance. Based on data from the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) 2021, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of internet use on residents' fertility intentions using a Poisson regression model. The results show that internet use significantly reduces residents' fertility intentions, and this effect exhibits significant heterogeneity across different groups. Mechanism analysis indicates that internet use significantly weakens the "raising children for old age " norm, and the weakening of this norm contributes to the reduction in fertility intentions. The findings of this study provide insights for understanding changes in residents' fertility intentions in the context of the internet era. To enhance and stabilize fertility intentions, online content should be more fertility-friendly rather than the opposite.
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