How Does Perceived Social Fairness Affect People’s Fertility Intention? The Role of Social Comparison

Subjects: Psychology >> Social Psychology submitted time 2023-07-11

Yang, Zheshuai Dai, Siqi Zhao, Dan

Abstract： [Objective] The record low fertility rate in recent years is a sign that China’s population problem is becoming more and more serious. The purpose of this research is to explore the factors that may influence people’s fertility intentions. [Methods] The current research demonstrates the causal relationship between people’s perceived fairness and fertility intention and the underlying psychological mechanisms with a large sample from the Chinese General Social Survey and several experimental studies. [Results] The current research finds that increased perceived fairness can reduce upward social comparison, lower perceived costs of childbearing, and consequently increase people’s fertility intention. Furthermore, the current research explores the moderating effect of social comparison direction (upward social comparison vs. downward social comparison) on the aforementioned effect. [Conclusions] By combining large sample survey data and experimental data, this paper investigates the impact of perceived social fairness on fertility intentions and proposes corresponding policy suggestions based on specific psychological mechanisms. This research thus has important theoretical value and practical implications for enhancing individuals’ fertility intentions and effectively implementing fertility policies.

Peer Review Status:Awaiting Review

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