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  5. Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing

American Economic Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing

  • Melissa S. Kearney
  • Phillip B. Levine
American Economic Review
vol. 105, no. 12, December 2015
(pp. 3597–3632)
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Abstract

This paper explores the impact of the introduction of the widely viewed MTV reality show 16 and Pregnant on teen childbearing. Our main analysis relates geographic variation in changes in teen childbearing rates to viewership of the show. We implement an instrumental variables (IV) strategy using local area MTV ratings data from a pre-period to predict local area 16 and Pregnant ratings. The results imply that this show led to a 4.3 percent reduction in teen births. An examination of Google Trends and Twitter data suggest that the show led to increased interest in contraceptive use and abortion. (JEL D12, J13, J16, L82, Z13)

Citation

Kearney, Melissa S., and Phillip B. Levine. 2015. "Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV's 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing." American Economic Review, 105 (12): 3597–3632. DOI: 10.1257/aer.20140012

Additional Materials

JEL Classification

  • D12 Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
  • J13 Fertility; Family Planning; Child Care; Children; Youth
  • J16 Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination
  • L82 Entertainment; Media
  • Z13 Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology; Social and Economic Stratification