ObjectiveThe main goal of this study is to identify the causes of the decline in sexual activity among young adults in the United States.BackgroundThe frequency with which young adults have sexual intercourse has declined over recent decades, but the sources of this trend are not well understood. Trends in economic insecurity, relationship formation, parental coresidence, use of electronic media, psychological distress, and alcohol consumption have all been suggested as possible causes.MethodLogistic regression models of recent sexual activity were estimated using longitudinal data from the Transition to Adulthood Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics for respondents ages 18 to 23 (n = 3,213) spanning 2007 to 2017. Mediation analysis was performed to identify the explanatory factors that account for the decline in sexual activity. Fixed‐effect logistic regression models were estimated for a subset of respondents (n = 655) to help identify causal effects.ResultsOf the possible explanations considered, the decline in the formation of romantic relationships and decreasing alcohol consumption are the most important, but declining earnings and increasing use of computer games also play important roles. Overall, the measured explanations explain three‐quarters of the decline in young adult sexual activity. Within individuals, forming a romantic relationship, going to college, and alcohol consumption likely have causal effects on the probability of engaging in sexual intercourse.ConclusionTrends in the formation of romantic relationships, alcohol consumption, computer gaming, and earnings explain a substantial portion of the decline in young adult sexual activity.
Research on leaving home among young adults has mainly focused on the timing of departures rather than the distance that young adults move when they leave the parental home and establish independent households. We draw on data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID) Transition to Adulthood Supplement (TAS) (2005–2015) and the Geospatial Match Files to examine the relationship between intergenerational solidarity and the distance of young adults' first independent household. We also examine whether intergenerational proximity is associated with the likelihood of returning home. The results indicate that young adults from high SES families tend to move farther, while those who have children and a close relationship with their mothers tend to stay nearby. Living far from the parental home deters home returning only for young adults who do not have a close relationship with their mothers.
In developing countries, labor out-migration has led to millions of married couples living apart from each other. Male out-migration brings economic benefits to the families in places of origin, but also leads to profound changes in the lives of the left-behind wives. It is unclear how the husband's out-migration influences the health of wives, let alone the mechanisms through which any effects are transmitted. Using data from the Indian Human Development Survey (2004–2005 and 2011–2012), we estimated lagged dependent variable models (N = 19,737) to assess the health impact of husbands' out-migration for women in India. The results showed that left-behind wives had lower self-rated health than wives of non-migrants. Part of this negative health impact was driven by the low remittances sent by the migrant husbands. For both women in nuclear families and women in extended families, the negative health impact was partially attributable to women's added responsibilities, such as animal care and managing a bank account. For women in nuclear families, the negative health effect of husbands' migration has been partially suppressed by women's increased autonomy.
Fewer young adults are engaging in casual sexual intercourse now than in the past, but the reasons for this decline are unknown. The authors use data from the 2007 through 2017 waves of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics Transition into Adulthood Supplement to quantify some of the proximate sources of the decline in the likelihood that unpartnered young adults ages 18 to 23 have recently had sexual intercourse. Among young women, the decline in the frequency of drinking alcohol explains about one quarter of the drop in the propensity to have casual sex. Among young men, declines in drinking frequency, an increase in computer gaming, and the growing percentage who coreside with their parents all contribute significantly to the decline in casual sex. The authors find no evidence that trends in young adults’ economic circumstances, internet use, or television watching explain the recent decline in casual sexual activity.
The COVID‐19 pandemic has disrupted people's lives through economic challenges, closure of worksites and schools and increased health risks. These disruptions can trigger new residential needs and preferences, but little research has been done regarding the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on moving intentions. We theorized how the pandemic could influence intentions of making different types of residential moves. Using Google Trends data, we conducted a time‐series analysis to assess the transitory, short‐term and long‐lasting changes in various types of mobility intentions since the pandemic. Results show that thoughts about temporary relocation surged at the onset of the COVID‐19 epidemic and then experienced a long‐term decrease. Intentions to move through housing purchases and rentals briefly declined at the beginning of the pandemic but then surpassed their normal levels in the following months. Thoughts about moving in with family or parents increased by almost 50% during the pandemic. These trends were also reflected in Google searches for moving services, which exhibited an initial decline followed by a long‐term increase. The results demonstrate that the COVID‐19 pandemic has not only posed obstacles that lowered moving intentions but also has created new needs and desires for moving.
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