Reexamining the effect of birth order on cognitive and non-cognitive abilities: New evidence from China

Shumeng Zhang, Naijia Guo and Junsen Zhang

Economics of Education Review, 2023, vol. 97, issue C

Abstract: We present rich new evidence on birth order effects on cognitive and non-cognitive ability using a rural sample from China Family Panel Studies. Within families, being the later-born child confers both statistically and economically significant disadvantages in cognition, but has no effects on non-cognitive ability. In particular, the deficits in the cognition of the later-born are persistently large between the ages 10 and 18. We shed new light on the mediating role of school starting age, which explains more than a quarter of the total effect of birth order on cognition. We also find that birth order is negatively associated with home environment and parent–child interactions. In addition, we find a negative relationship between birth order and education among adults.

Keywords: Birth order; Cognitive ability; Non-cognitive ability; Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D13 J13 O15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ecoedu:v:97:y:2023:i:c:s0272775723001231

DOI: 10.1016/j.econedurev.2023.102476

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