Birth order and birth rate bias: findings in a representative sample of the adult population of Great Britain

1974 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 139-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Hare ◽  
J. S. Price
Keyword(s):  
Great Britain ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Theoretical Predictions ◽  
Large Families

SummaryBirth order and family size have been studied in a representative sample (10,000) of the adult population of Great Britain. This was done to test theoretical predictions about the ways in which the birth-order distribution in a population sample will be biased by secular changes in family size. The principal predictions were that, in a sample born during a period when family size was decreasing, the distribution of birth ranks in the larger families would be biased towards an over-representation of later born subjects (i.e. those lower in birth order), while in smaller families there would be an under-representation of later born. In a sample born during a period when family size was increasing, the reverse effects would occur. It was also predicted that among subjects from large families there would be an excess of females; and that the extent of the bias due to decrease in family size would be greatest in the unskilled and least in the highly skilled social classes.The findings confirmed these predictions. The sample also showed an un-predicted excess of subjects in the middle ranks of families. It is suggested that the hypothesis of birth rate bias may be used for predicting the type of birth-order distribution to be expected in a sample of any population.

Birth Order and Family Size: Bias Caused by Changes in Birth Rate

1969 ◽  
Vol 115 (523) ◽  
pp. 647-657 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Hare ◽  
J. S. Price
Keyword(s):  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Null Hypothesis ◽  
Birth Rate ◽  
Reproductive Period ◽  
Adult Patients ◽  
Rank Distribution ◽  
Sibship Size ◽  
Birth Rank ◽  
Age Range

In a previous paper (Price and Hare, 1969) we drew attention to some types of bias which may complicate the search for a useful association between disease and birth order. In particular, we considered biases occurring in a sample of adult patients where the patients' mothers have all passed their reproductive period and where, therefore, the sibships of the patients are complete. In such a sample, the recognized methods of searching for an association between disease and birth order are based on the assumption, that, for a null hypothesis, the sample will be randomly distributed among the birth ranks for each sibship size. But in fact the distribution may be non-random, and there are two main causes for this. These are (i) changes in the birth rate of the population, and (ii) changes in the birth rank distribution of the patients between birth and the age-range from which the sample is selected (e.g. differential rates of mortality or migration). The principal aim in the present paper is to illustrate the bias arising from the first of these causes.

scholarly journals Education, Birth Order and Family Size

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jesper Bagger ◽  
Javier A Birchenall ◽  
Hani Mansour ◽  
Sergio Urzúa
Keyword(s):  
Human Capital ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Order Effects ◽  
Canonical Models ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Parental Investments ◽  
Special Cases ◽  
Large Families ◽  
Cost Differentials

Abstract This article introduces a framework to study parental investments in the presence of birth order preferences and/or human capital cost differentials across children. The framework yields canonical models as special cases and delivers sharp testable predictions concerning how parental investments respond to an exogenous change in family size in the presence of birth order effects. These predictions characterize a generalised quantity–quality trade-off. Danish administrative data confirm our theory’s predictions. We find that for any given parity, the human capital profile of children in smaller families dominates that of large families, and that the average child’s education decreases as family size increases, even after taking birth order effects into consideration.

scholarly journals “Resource Portfolio” and Total Capital of Different Social Classes in the Modern Society of Latvia

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Komarova ◽  
Iveta Mietule ◽  
Iluta Arbidāne ◽  
Vladas Tumalavičius
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Working Class ◽  
Social Stratification ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Modern Society ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Total Capital

The aim of this study is to investigate “resource portfolios” and total capital, as well as the degree of those resources capitalization, which representatives of different social classes in the modern Latvia have at their disposal. The amount and structure of “resource portfolio” and total capital of different social classes studied using the resource-asset-capital approach. The article presents results of the sociological survey of social stratification in modern Latvia on the example of its one region – Latgale (2019, n = 798, representative sample of the adult population), identifying social classes based on two objective (income and education) and one subjective (self-identification of respondents) criteria. Based on the example of the lower working class and the middle class, the authors proved that representatives of these polar social classes have a total capital of different amount, which is determined by two main reasons: 1) the lower working class has statistically significantly smaller “resource portfolio” than the middle class; 2) the lower working class is not so successful as the middle class in activating the resources at their disposal, turning them into their capital. These statistically significant two-level differences have to be considered when pursuing social policies on reducing differences between social classes.

scholarly journals Alcoholism, Family Size and Ordinal Position

1965 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Gregory
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Clinical Observation ◽  
Psychiatric Patients ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Similar Distribution ◽  
Large Samples ◽  
Large Families

Schachter (12) assumed that alcoholics do not handle their anxiety by-affiliation, and found some indirect support for this contention in his analysis of data provided earlier by Bakan (1). However, certain figures in the latter sample are incompatible, and the method of analysis was unrefined. Smart (15) supplied satisfactory data on family size and birth order among 242 alcoholics, and used appropriate techniques of analysis. He tested four hypotheses based on Schachter's work and assumption concerning alcoholics, and rejected three of them. If the corrected sizes of sibships in Smart's sample are compared with general population data on the sizes of completed families, this leads to rejection of the remaining hypothesis. The findings are compatible with the clinical observation that most male alcoholics are birds of a feather who tend to affiliate with other alcoholics. Smart (16) provided additional data on a large sample of female alcoholics, which showed a similar distribution of family sizes to his predominantly male sample, but also a marked excess of youngest-born members of large families. The latter finding has previously been reported in certain other large samples of psychiatric patients, but the evidence is conflicting and requires further elucidation.

Relation of Birth Order, Family Size and Social Class to Psychological Functions

1977 ◽  
Vol 45 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1107-1116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lillian Belmont ◽  
Janet Wittes ◽  
Zena Stein
Keyword(s):  
Social Class ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Size Effects ◽  
Intellectual Development ◽  
Total Population ◽  
Social Classes ◽  
Verbal Intelligence ◽  
Psychological Functions ◽  
The Military

Findings are reported on birth-order and family-size effects for five psychological functions measured by the military preinduction test battery which was administered to a total population of 19-yr.-old Dutch men. These men were born between 1944 and 1946, were members of 1- to 6-child families and were from the two major social classes. A clear birth-order gradient was present on all test measures for both social classes. Family-size effects, however, differed by social class. The results extend to a range of psychological functions the findings previously reported for a single test of non-verbal intelligence, suggesting that family-structure variables play a role in understanding intellectual development.

Examination of Accelerometer Reactivity Among a Population Sample of Children, Adolescents, and Adults

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 1325-1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert E. Davis ◽  
Paul D. Loprinzi
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Representative Sample ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Sufficient Evidence ◽  
Nutrition Examination Survey ◽  
Health And Nutrition ◽  
Adolescents And Adults ◽  
Nationally Representative

Objectives:To examine whether accelerometer-measured physical activity–based reactivity was present in a nationally representative sample of U.S. children (6–11 yrs), adolescents (12–17 yrs), and adults (≥20 yrs).Methods:Data from the 2003–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (N = 674, 6–85 yrs) were used. Physical activity (PA) was assessed using the ActiGraph 7164 accelerometer, with PA assessed over 7 days of monitoring. Two PA metrics were assessed, including activity counts per day (CPD) and time spent in moderate-to-vigorous PA. Evidence of reactivity was defined as a statistically significantly change in either of these 2 PA metrics from day 1 of monitoring to days 2 or 3, with day 1 of monitoring being a Monday.Results:Suggestion of reactivity was observed only for the adult population where CPD from days 2 and 3 (297,140.6 ± 7920.3 and 295,812.9 ± 8364.9), respectively, differed significantly from day 1 (309,611.5 ± 9134.9) over the monitoring period (4.0% to 4.5% change). The analysis was conducted 2 additional times with differing start days (Tuesday and Wednesday), and this approach failed to demonstrated a reactive presence.Conclusion:In this national sample of U.S. children, adolescents and adults, we did not observe sufficient evidence of accelerometer reactivity.

Family Size, Birth Order, Sex and Social Interest: Are They Related?

1988 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 963-967
Author(s):  
M. Ebrahim Fakouri ◽  
James L. Hafner ◽  
Reece Chaney
Keyword(s):  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Internal Consistency ◽  
Significant Relationship ◽  
Social Interest ◽  
Large Families

This study of relations of family size, birth order, sex, and social interest for 125 volunteer subjects yielded no significant relationship among birth order, sex, and social interest. Family size was related to social interest; persons coming from small families had higher Social Interest scores than persons coming from large families. The findings are discussed with regard to internal consistency of these constructs within Alfred Adler's theory.

Resolving the debate over birth order, family size, and intelligence.

2000 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 599-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Lee Rodgers ◽  
H. Harrington Cleveland ◽  
Edwin van den Oord ◽  
David C. Rowe
Keyword(s):  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size

Siblings and Illness

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leah Sawyer Vanderwerp
Keyword(s):  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Birth Order ◽  
Family Size ◽  
Multivariate Analyses ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Demographic Variables ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Mother And Child ◽  
Using Data

Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-Mother and Child samples, I investigated the relationships among child and adolescent depressive symptoms, having a chronically ill sibling, and other child and familial demographic variables. From research on social support and social role transitions, with the Stress Process as a theoretical model, I hypothesized that children with chronically ill siblings experience more depressive symptoms. Specifically, I looked at age, gender, birth order and family size as potentially reducing the effect size of having a chronically ill sibling. Findings showed that having a chronically ill sibling is associated with demonstrating more depressive symptoms both in the bivariate and multivariate analyses. Although age, gender, birth order and family size do not interact significantly with having a chronically ill sibling in predicting depressive symptoms, they do present interesting findings about childhood depressive symptoms in general. Thus, the results of this study suggest specific and meaningful paths for future research.

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