<p>There are studies of this type:</p>
<p><a href="https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-10/Fertility-and-Family-Labor-Supply-Hamish-Low.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-10/Fertility-and-Family-Labor-Supply-Hamish-Low.pdf</a></p>
<p>I think you're maybe asking for something slightly stronger (i.e more structure to the empirical model they estimate), and I'm not sure that that would be wise, since I think it's very difficult to characterise the model that would-be parents behave according to when making fertility decisions.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-26T13:26:16.603Z
Just for future reference the paper's pdf is here https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9d5267c7-3da9-476e-bbb4-29394a1aac23/files/s6m311q33p
EmmanuelMess
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-26T13:36:49.210Z
Its a shame that only section 7.2 talks about the how fertility changes in response to subsidies. Is there a more extended analysis somewhere else?
EmmanuelMess
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-26T07:41:44.097Z
2024-05-26T07:41:44.097Z
matthewoulton
<p>Are there any studies analyzing how parents have/adopt children as the cost of having them is reduced? In particular, how many children would there be per say a thousand people if the cost were fully subsidized?</p>
<p>For some context, I am trying to understand how much the monetary cost of having children (cost of clothing, living space, food, etc) affects parents' desire for children.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T00:51:22.240Z
I believe technically parents are suppliers of children :p
1muflon1
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T17:43:06.433Z
@1muflon1 yes, but I am interested on the demand side only right now
EmmanuelMess
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T18:19:28.130Z
I like the question, but I think assuming parents are aware of most of the costs of raising a child is very questionable. A lot of these things are overpriced, because as a parent, you have less time to shop around, your demand becomes less elastic. Also, the total cost would be far from uniform, as some people expect to send their children to Harvard, while some do not. I guess you could design a survey to measure exactly this "Q1: Estimate the cost of raising a child until age 18/25." "Q2: are you planning to have children? If yes, how many?" "Q3: What is your current yearly income?"
Giskard
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T18:22:00.187Z
@Giskard for this question I try to take out the "price" from the equation and look for the underlying desire, by assuming the cost is almost fully or fully covered by "someone else".
EmmanuelMess
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T18:23:09.530Z
Ah okay. Then the answer is no, because this has never happened (e.g. no state provides you with a full-time nanny), so there is no data on it, hence no associated research.
Giskard
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T18:25:00.917Z
@Giskard sorry didn't see the edit before replying, do you mean to say that the study itself would be difficult to craft to answer the question?
EmmanuelMess
CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-05-18T18:26:51.430Z
No. A study that measures the number of children you intend to have and your percieved cost is possible. I guess so is a study that asks you how many children would you want to have if all costs were covered by the state, but I would hesitate to trust the results of this second study, because people are not very good at guessing how they would react in very hypothetical situations.
Giskard
<reference-request><welfare-economics>
Studies of demand for having children as price goes to zero
EmmanuelMess
# Studies of demand for having children as price goes to zero

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-05-17)

Are there any studies analyzing how parents have/adopt children as the cost of having them is reduced? In particular, how many children would there be per say a thousand people if the cost were fully subsidized?

For some context, I am trying to understand how much the monetary cost of having children (cost of clothing, living space, food, etc) affects parents' desire for children.

**Tags:** reference-request, welfare-economics

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I believe technically parents are suppliers of children :p  
> **username_0**: @username_1 yes, but I am interested on the demand side only right now  
> **username_2**: I like the question, but I think assuming parents are aware of most of the costs of raising a child is very questionable. A lot of these things are overpriced, because as a parent, you have less time to shop around, your demand becomes less elastic. Also, the total cost would be far from uniform, as some people expect to send their children to Harvard, while some do not. I guess you could design a survey to measure exactly this "Q1: Estimate the cost of raising a child until age 18/25." "Q2: are you planning to have children? If yes, how many?" "Q3: What is your current yearly income?"  
> **username_0**: @username_2 for this question I try to take out the "price" from the equation and look for the underlying desire, by assuming the cost is almost fully or fully covered by "someone else".  
> **username_2**: Ah okay. Then the answer is no, because this has never happened (e.g. no state provides you with a full-time nanny), so there is no data on it, hence no associated research.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 sorry didn't see the edit before replying, do you mean to say that the study itself would be difficult to craft to answer the question?  
> **username_2**: No. A study that measures the number of children you intend to have and your percieved cost is possible. I guess so is a study that asks you how many children would you want to have if all costs were covered by the state, but I would hesitate to trust the results of this second study, because people are not very good at guessing how they would react in very hypothetical situations.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2024-05-26. Score: 1 | Accepted answer

There are studies of this type:

<https://ifs.org.uk/sites/default/files/2023-10/Fertility-and-Family-Labor-Supply-Hamish-Low.pdf>

I think you're maybe asking for something slightly stronger (i.e more structure to the empirical model they estimate), and I'm not sure that that would be wise, since I think it's very difficult to characterise the model that would-be parents behave according to when making fertility decisions.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Just for future reference the paper's pdf is here https://ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:9d5267c7-3da9-476e-bbb4-29394a1aac23/files/s6m311q33p  
> **username_0**: Its a shame that only section 7.2 talks about the how fertility changes in response to subsidies. Is there a more extended analysis somewhere else?  

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