Reexamining the effect of birth order on cognitive and non-cognitive abilities: New evidence from China

Abstract

We present rich new evidence on birth order effects on cognitive and non-cognitive ability using a rural sample from China Family Panel Studies. Within families, being the later-born child confers both statistically and economically significant disadvantages in cognition, but has no effects on non-cognitive ability. In particular, the deficits in the cognition of the later-born are persistently large between the ages 10 and 18. We shed new light on the mediating role of school starting age, which explains more than a quarter of the total effect of birth order on cognition. We also find that birth order is negatively associated with home environment and parent–child interactions. In addition, we find a negative relationship between birth order and education among adults.