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Future orientation, perception of population problems and birth planning behavior.
Perceptual and Motor Skills
|April 1, 1978
Summary
Future orientation in college students positively correlated with perceived population problems and birth control use likelihood. These correlations were modest, suggesting a mild association between planning for the future and reproductive health awareness.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Demography
- Public Health
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing reproductive health decisions is crucial for population studies.
- Future orientation, a psychological construct, may impact long-term planning behaviors, including family planning.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between future orientation and perceptions of population issues.
- To investigate the association between future orientation and the likelihood of using birth control.
Main Methods:
- Survey administered to 350 college students.
- Measured future orientation using a validated scale.
- Assessed perceived seriousness of U.S. and world population problems.
- Gauged likelihood of using various birth control methods.
Main Results:
- A positive correlation was found between future orientation and perceived seriousness of population problems (r = .20 to .30).
- A positive correlation was observed between future orientation and the likelihood of using birth control techniques (r = .20 to .30).
- All observed correlations were statistically significant but considered low in magnitude.
Conclusions:
- College students with stronger future orientation tend to perceive population problems as more serious.
- Individuals with a greater future orientation are more likely to consider using birth control.
- The findings suggest a modest link between psychological future outlook and awareness of demographic challenges and reproductive health choices.