Table 2.
Wantedness and Timing of Births, By Importance of Religion
| By importance of religion to mother: | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very important | Somewhat important | Not important/ no religion | All women | |
| Total fertility rate (children/woman) | 2.3 | 2.1 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Number of births | 1472 | 782 | 466 | 2720 |
| Proportion of births unwanted | 0.13 | 0.13 | 0.20 | 0.14 |
| Proportion of births unplanned | 0.48 | 0.52 | 0.61 | 0.51 |
| Mean age at first birth (years) | 25.6 | 25.5 | 25.3 | 25.5 |
| Mean age at second birth (years) | 28.2 | 27.6 | 27.0 | 27.9 |
Notes: Authors’ calculations, 2002 NSFG. Births to women age 15–39 between January 1997 and December 2001. Means and proportions weighted using sample weights.