Ambient temperature and sexual activity: Evidence from time use surveys

Tamás Hajdu and Gábor Hajdu

Demographic Research, 2019, vol. 40, issue 12, 307-318

Abstract: Background: Previous research has found that unusually hot temperatures reduce birth rates eight to ten months later. Objective: We examine one of the potential mechanisms behind this relationship: the connection between ambient temperature and sexual activity. Methods: We use individual-level data provided by three waves of the Hungarian Time Use Survey between 1986 and 2010 and daily weather data from the European Climate Assessment & Dataset project. Results: Hot temperatures do not have a significant effect on sexual activity on a given day. Studying the dynamics of the relationship, we found that temperature does not influence sexual activity on subsequent days either. Conclusions: Since high temperatures seem to have no negative effect on sexual activity, the relationship between temperature and sexual activity might be a mechanism of minor importance in the relationship between temperature and birth rates. Contribution: Our paper is the first study of the relationship between ambient temperature and sexual activity that uses time use data.

Keywords: weather variability; temperature; sexual behavior; time use (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J1 Z0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:dem:demres:v:40:y:2019:i:12

DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2019.40.12

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