Potential reproductive attitudes measures in Add Health (weighted) and RDSLa
| . | Variable Name . | Add Health . | RDSL . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) . | Mean (SD) . | ||
| Using birth control is morally wrong. | BC morally wrong | 4.14 (1.04) | 4.27 (0.72) |
| If a woman waits for the perfect time to have a baby, she will probably have trouble getting pregnant. | wait perfect time | 3.57 (0.95) | |
| Getting pregnant at this time in your life is one of the worst things that could happen to you. | preg worst | 4.32 (1.00) | 3.88 (1.26) |
| It wouldn’t be all that bad if you got pregnant at this time in your life. | preg not bad | 4.21 (1.00) | 3.80 (1.10) |
| If you had a baby now, you would feel less lonely. | baby less lonely | 3.94 (0.88) | |
| If you got pregnant now, you could handle the responsibilities of parenting. | preg handle parenting | 3.20 (1.33) | |
| If you got pregnant, you would be forced to grow up too fast. | preg grow up fast | 3.85 (1.15) | 3.23 (1.22) |
| It is easy for you to get birth control. | BC easy to get | 3.63 (1.22) | 4.03 (0.84) |
| If you got pregnant, you would have to quit school. | preg quit school | 2.39 (1.16) | 2.31 (1.03) |
| If you got pregnant now, your partner would be happy. | preg partner happy | 3.50 (1.77) | |
| If you got pregnant now, you could not afford to raise the child. | preg not afford | 3.40 (1.22) | |
| In general, birth control is too much of a hassle to use. | BC hassle | 4.04 (1.15) | 4.22 (0.84) |
| It takes too much planning ahead of time to have birth control on hand when you’re going to have sex. | BC planning | 3.93 (1.10) | 4.18 (0.62) |
| Using birth control interferes with enjoyment.b | BC less pleasure | 3.76 (1.14) | 4.11 (0.65) |
| In general, birth control is too expensive to buy. | BC expensive | 3.89 (1.08) | 3.90 (0.87) |
| If you got pregnant now, your family would help you raise the child. | preg family help | 2.03 (0.92) | |
| If a woman asks her partner to use a condom, he will think that she doesn’t trust him. | condom mistrust | 3.75 (1.22) | |
| It is better to have kids young because the grandparents can be more involved. | young grandparents | 3.60 (1.14) | |
| It is better to get pregnant young because young women’s bodies recover faster. | young recover | 3.81 (1.02) | |
| It is easier for young women to lose weight after a pregnancy. | young lose weight | 3.23 (1.11) | |
| It is hard for kids to have the oldest parents at their school. | hard old parents | 3.63 (0.99) | |
| Using birth control is likely to make a woman feel sick. | BC sick | 3.36 (1.05) | |
| Babies born to older mothers have more health problems. | older mom, baby problems | 3.19 (1.04) | |
| If a girl uses birth control, she is looking for sex.c | BC looking for sex | 3.52 (1.19) | 4.07 (0.77) |
| You can’t afford to pay for birth control. | BC not afford | 3.92 (0.89) | |
| If you got (If respondent is male, add: someone) pregnant, it would be embarrassing for your family. | preg embarrass family | 3.63 (1.29) | |
| If you got pregnant (If respondent is male, add: someone), it would be embarrassing for you. | preg embarrass self | 3.62 (1.36) | |
| If you got pregnant, you would have to decide whether or not to have the baby, and that would be stressful and difficult. | preg abortion | 3.84 (1.26) | |
| If you got pregnant, you might marry the wrong person, just to get married. | preg marry wrong | 3.18 (1.31) | |
| It {IS/WOULD BE} too hard to get a {GIRL/BOY} to use birth control with you. | BC hard partner | 3.87 (1.07) |
| . | Variable Name . | Add Health . | RDSL . |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) . | Mean (SD) . | ||
| Using birth control is morally wrong. | BC morally wrong | 4.14 (1.04) | 4.27 (0.72) |
| If a woman waits for the perfect time to have a baby, she will probably have trouble getting pregnant. | wait perfect time | 3.57 (0.95) | |
| Getting pregnant at this time in your life is one of the worst things that could happen to you. | preg worst | 4.32 (1.00) | 3.88 (1.26) |
| It wouldn’t be all that bad if you got pregnant at this time in your life. | preg not bad | 4.21 (1.00) | 3.80 (1.10) |
| If you had a baby now, you would feel less lonely. | baby less lonely | 3.94 (0.88) | |
| If you got pregnant now, you could handle the responsibilities of parenting. | preg handle parenting | 3.20 (1.33) | |
| If you got pregnant, you would be forced to grow up too fast. | preg grow up fast | 3.85 (1.15) | 3.23 (1.22) |
| It is easy for you to get birth control. | BC easy to get | 3.63 (1.22) | 4.03 (0.84) |
| If you got pregnant, you would have to quit school. | preg quit school | 2.39 (1.16) | 2.31 (1.03) |
| If you got pregnant now, your partner would be happy. | preg partner happy | 3.50 (1.77) | |
| If you got pregnant now, you could not afford to raise the child. | preg not afford | 3.40 (1.22) | |
| In general, birth control is too much of a hassle to use. | BC hassle | 4.04 (1.15) | 4.22 (0.84) |
| It takes too much planning ahead of time to have birth control on hand when you’re going to have sex. | BC planning | 3.93 (1.10) | 4.18 (0.62) |
| Using birth control interferes with enjoyment.b | BC less pleasure | 3.76 (1.14) | 4.11 (0.65) |
| In general, birth control is too expensive to buy. | BC expensive | 3.89 (1.08) | 3.90 (0.87) |
| If you got pregnant now, your family would help you raise the child. | preg family help | 2.03 (0.92) | |
| If a woman asks her partner to use a condom, he will think that she doesn’t trust him. | condom mistrust | 3.75 (1.22) | |
| It is better to have kids young because the grandparents can be more involved. | young grandparents | 3.60 (1.14) | |
| It is better to get pregnant young because young women’s bodies recover faster. | young recover | 3.81 (1.02) | |
| It is easier for young women to lose weight after a pregnancy. | young lose weight | 3.23 (1.11) | |
| It is hard for kids to have the oldest parents at their school. | hard old parents | 3.63 (0.99) | |
| Using birth control is likely to make a woman feel sick. | BC sick | 3.36 (1.05) | |
| Babies born to older mothers have more health problems. | older mom, baby problems | 3.19 (1.04) | |
| If a girl uses birth control, she is looking for sex.c | BC looking for sex | 3.52 (1.19) | 4.07 (0.77) |
| You can’t afford to pay for birth control. | BC not afford | 3.92 (0.89) | |
| If you got (If respondent is male, add: someone) pregnant, it would be embarrassing for your family. | preg embarrass family | 3.63 (1.29) | |
| If you got pregnant (If respondent is male, add: someone), it would be embarrassing for you. | preg embarrass self | 3.62 (1.36) | |
| If you got pregnant, you would have to decide whether or not to have the baby, and that would be stressful and difficult. | preg abortion | 3.84 (1.26) | |
| If you got pregnant, you might marry the wrong person, just to get married. | preg marry wrong | 3.18 (1.31) | |
| It {IS/WOULD BE} too hard to get a {GIRL/BOY} to use birth control with you. | BC hard partner | 3.87 (1.07) |
a In Add Health, unless otherwise indicated, all items are measured on a scale of 1 = strongly agree to 5 = strongly disagree, with 3 = neither agree nor disagree. In RDSL, unless otherwise indicated, all items are measured on a scale of 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree, with no neutral response offered but recorded when insisted upon by respondents. RDSL responses were recoded to correspond with Add Health. Analytically, items were reverse-coded as necessary such that higher responses indicate less favorable attitudes toward childbearing and more favorable attitudes toward contraception.
b In Add Health, this question was worded, “For you, using birth control interferes/would interfere with sexual enjoyment.”
c In Add Health, this question was worded, “If you used birth control, your friends might think that you were looking for sex.”