Reasons to postpone or renounce childbearing during fertility decline in Finland
We examined self-reported reasons to postpone or renounce childbearing during fertility decline in Finland in 2010s and their associations with socio-demographic and lifestyle factors, including social media use and work-related attitudes. Using representative survey data from Finnish Family Barometers, the sample comprised participants aged 20-44 who did not plan having children soon. Based on exploratory factor analysis, self-reported reasons were grouped into perceived uncertainty, childfree preference, and completed fertility factors. More stable life situation, infrequent social media use, lower work-orientation were related to lower perceived uncertainty, whereas being a woman, having no children, frequent social media use, and higher work-orientation were associated with increased childfree preferences. Perceived uncertainty and childfree preferences may contribute to recent fertility decline by influencing childbearing decisions, independently of socio-demographic characteristics.