Religion’s influence on fertility expectations : contemporary evidence from a multi-religious society
This paper examines the effect of religious affiliation and religiosity on fertility expectations of local undergraduates in the multi-religious state of Singapore. It finds that Singaporean Buddhist and Protestant Christian undergraduates desire significantly fewer children than the ben...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Final Year Project |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2014
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10356/59300 |
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| Institution: | Nanyang Technological University |
| Language: | English |
| Summary: | This paper examines the effect of religious affiliation and religiosity on fertility expectations
of local undergraduates in the multi-religious state of Singapore. It finds that Singaporean
Buddhist and Protestant Christian undergraduates desire significantly fewer children than the
benchmark group without religious beliefs. The difference in fertility expectations between
the remaining religious groups and the benchmark group is not statistically significant. This
can be intuitively explained by Singaporean Buddhist and Protestant Christian
undergraduates prioritizing alternative motivations such as career aspirations over starting a
family. It also finds that an individual’s weekly number of hours committed to religious
activities – a proxy for an individual’s level of religiosity, has a significant positive effect on
fertility expectations. This result suggests that individuals more connected with their
respective religious teachings are less motivated by material goals, rather choosing to
embrace non-material pursuits.
Key words: Religious affiliation, religiosity, fertility, multi-religious, Singapore |
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