Learning from teen childbearing experiences of close friends: Evidence using miscarriages as a natural experiment

Olga Yakusheva; Jason Fletcher

doi:10.1162/REST_a_00423

Learning from teen childbearing experiences of close friends: Evidence using miscarriages as a natural experiment

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Abstract

We examine peer effects in teen childbearing among close friends, using miscarriages as a natural experiment. We use 775 women from the core sample of Add Health who had a friend with a teen pregnancy. We find a sizable negative treatment effect: a close friend's teen birth is associated with a 6 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of own teen pregnancy and childbearing. There is evidence that this effect operates through a learning mechanism by changing beliefs regarding early childbearing. Effects of teen pregnancy prevention policies may be partially offset by reductions in the opportunities for social learning.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	29-43
Number of pages	15
Journal	Review of Economics and Statistics
Volume	97
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1162/REST_a_00423
State	Published - Mar 1 2015
Externally published	Yes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Social Sciences (miscellaneous)
Economics and Econometrics

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10.1162/REST_a_00423

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abstract = "We examine peer effects in teen childbearing among close friends, using miscarriages as a natural experiment. We use 775 women from the core sample of Add Health who had a friend with a teen pregnancy. We find a sizable negative treatment effect: a close friend's teen birth is associated with a 6 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of own teen pregnancy and childbearing. There is evidence that this effect operates through a learning mechanism by changing beliefs regarding early childbearing. Effects of teen pregnancy prevention policies may be partially offset by reductions in the opportunities for social learning.",

author = "Olga Yakusheva and Jason Fletcher",

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AB - We examine peer effects in teen childbearing among close friends, using miscarriages as a natural experiment. We use 775 women from the core sample of Add Health who had a friend with a teen pregnancy. We find a sizable negative treatment effect: a close friend's teen birth is associated with a 6 percentage point reduction in the likelihood of own teen pregnancy and childbearing. There is evidence that this effect operates through a learning mechanism by changing beliefs regarding early childbearing. Effects of teen pregnancy prevention policies may be partially offset by reductions in the opportunities for social learning.

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Learning from teen childbearing experiences of close friends: Evidence using miscarriages as a natural experiment

Abstract

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