Energy poverty and fertility intentions: An empirical analysis from household multidimensional perspectives

Abstract

Fertility intentions determine fertility behaviors, and the decline in fertility intentions in China has directly led to a significant reduction in fertility rates in recent years. An analysis of the factors influencing fertility intentions can help China find solutions to increase fertility levels and reverse the decline. Using data from the 2015 Chinese General Social Survey, this study conducted Poisson regression analyses to investigate the relationship between energy poverty and fertility intentions from the perspective of energy poverty, and found that fertility intentions show a significant inverted U-shaped trend with the increase of multidimensional energy poverty. There is also significant cultural, urban‒rural and educational heterogeneity in the effect of energy poverty on fertility intentions. Multidimensional energy poverty acts on fertility intentions through three pathways: cultural effects, economic effects and health effects; therefore, at the policy level, fertility intentions can be increased by promoting some favorable traditional culture, increasing energy subsidies, and providing health check-ups for poverty-stricken families.