The Impact of School Shootings on Birthrates in America

The research in this paper investigates the relationship between school shootings and birthrates within United States counties used fixed and random effects regression models. Existing research shows that school shootings have the potential to leave similar effects on a community as a terrorist attack, which themselves have been shown to lower birthrate and fertility rate at the country level. Using demographic and economic information, as well as a database of school shootings in the U.S., it was estimated whether the presence and fatality of a school shooting had an impact on a county’s birthrate one and two years later. The model did not find robust results showing a link. However, whiter counties showed a higher sensitivity and potential to lower birthrates following a shooting, while lower income communities may respond with a slightly higher birthrate.Bachelor of Art