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Numerological preferences, timing of births and the long-term effect on schooling

Author

Listed:
  • Cheng Huang

    (George Washington University)

  • Xiaojing Ma

    (School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology)

  • Shiying Zhang

    (School of Economics and Management, Harbin Institute of Technology)

  • Qingguo Zhao

    (Family Planning Research Institute of Guangdong Province)

Abstract

Cultural beliefs may affect demographic behaviors. According to traditional Chinese astrology, babies born on auspicious days will have good luck in their lifetime, whereas those born on inauspicious days will have bad luck. Using administrative data from birth certificates in Guangdong, China, we provide empirical evidence on the short-term effects of such numerological preferences. We find that approximately 3.9% extra births occur on auspicious days and 1.4% of births are avoided on inauspicious days. Additionally, there is a higher male/female sex ratio for births on auspicious days. Since such manipulation of the birthdate is typically performed through scheduled C-sections, C-section births increase significantly on auspicious days. Moreover, we use a second dataset to examine the long-term effect of numerological preferences and find that people born on auspicious days are more likely to attend college

Suggested Citation

  • Cheng Huang & Xiaojing Ma & Shiying Zhang & Qingguo Zhao, 2019. "Numerological preferences, timing of births and the long-term effect on schooling," Working Papers 2019-16, The George Washington University, Institute for International Economic Policy.
    • Handle: RePEc:gwi:wpaper:2019-16
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    Cited by:

    1. Huang, Cheng & Zhang, Shiying & Zhao, Qingguo & Lin, Yan, 2021. "Dragon year superstition, birth timing, and neonatal health outcomes," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 66(C).
    2. Cho, Hyunkuk, 2025. "Auspicious years, the birth of girls, and their birth outcomes," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    3. Evgeny A. Antipov & Elena B. Pokryshevskaya, 2020. "Impact of superstitious beliefs on the timing of marriage and childbirth: Evidence from Denmark," Judgment and Decision Making, Society for Judgment and Decision Making, vol. 15(5), pages 756-782, September.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • I21 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Education - - - Analysis of Education
    • Z10 - Other Special Topics - - Cultural Economics - - - General
    • J13 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
    • D19 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Other

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