Investigating Recent Trends in the U.S. Teen Birth Rates
Melissa Kearney and Phillip Levine , ( 41 )
Journal of Health Economics
15-29
May
2015
Abstract

We investigate trends in the U.S. rate of teen childbearing between 1981 and 2010, focusing specifically on the sizable decline since 1991. We focus on establishing the role of state-level demographic changes, economic conditions, and targeted policies in driving recent aggregate trends. We offer three main observations. First, the recent decline cannot be explained by the changing racial and ethnic composition of teens.

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