What contributes to a nation’s decline in birth rate? The biggest contributor is probably the economy. If times are tough, the last thing most people want to do is raise kids when they can barely feed themselves. But according to scientists at the National Bureau of Economic Research, they believe that the iPhone is the cause of the “collapse in US fertility.”
iPhone blamed for collapse in US fertility
According to the study, it seems that the researchers believe there is correlation between the launch of the iPhone and low US fertility rates. It sounds borderline ludicrous, but there are parts of the research that actually make a little sense.
The researchers believe that as smartphones became more ubiquitous, people started spending more time on their phones than with their friends. Also, with our phones basically being a computer in our pockets, they believe it contributed to a rise in pornography, leading to sexual activity falling sharply.
That being said, it feels like a stretch. Yes, it is possible technology has caused some of us to withdraw socially, but to say that low birth rates in the US might be correlated to the launch of the iPhone? As 9to5Mac puts it, that’s quite an imaginative methodology that the researchers have taken.
For those wondering what this methodology involved, the researchers used the fact AT&T was the only carrier that supported the Apple iPhone at launch and then isolated an iPhone-specific channel. They then compared birth rates in areas with a high AT&T customer base, to other areas where competing carriers might be stronger.
Maybe not the sole cause, but it played a role
However, the researchers do note that they do not believe the iPhone is the sole cause of this. They write, “We do not claim that the iPhone is the sole cause of the post-2007 decline, nor that no policy lever can move the trajectory. But over the 2008–2011 window that our design identifies, our estimates imply that the introduction of the modern smartphone played a sizable role in the decline in U.S. births.”
It’s an interesting take on things. Initially when we came across the study, we thought it might have something to do with the radiation given off by our smartphones. But what do you think? Does this study have any merit?
The post A New Study Blames the iPhone for America’s Fertility Decline appeared first on Android Headlines.
