Amish Fertility in the United States: Comparative Evidence from the American Community Survey and Amish Population Registries
Demographic Research
Stone, Lyman, Cory Anderson, and Stephanie Thiehoff. 2025.
52(26):869-86.
Neighbors’ Social Attitudes Predict Variations in Live Births among the Amish of Holmes County, Ohio, United States
Demographic Research
Shetler, Anna, and Cory Anderson. 2025.
53(25):773-820.
Research Points
- Tests whether nearby neighbors’ religiosity relates to household (HH) fertility among the Amish in Holmes County, Ohio.
- Links a near-census of households to mapped distances to leaders, strict/lenient denominations, and villages.
- Finds that proximity effects are not one-directional but depend on who the household is and its stage of childbearing. Specifically:
- Strict HHs, reproductive-risk: closer to strict HHs → +24% expected live births (IRR = 1.240).
- Strict HHs, completed-fertility: closer to ordained HHs → +15% (IRR = 1.152).
- Lenient HHs, reproductive-risk: closer to ordained HHs → +8% (IRR = 1.084).
- All HHs: closer to village centers → −1.2% (IRR = 0.988).
- Lenient HHs, completed-fertility: closer to village centers → −1.6% (IRR = 0.984).
- All HHs: closer to strict HHs → −0.5% (IRR = 0.995).
- Shows that the influence of neighbors is multifaceted—different social settings can amplify or dampen fertility depending on household identity and timing.
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The Persistently High Fertility of a North American Population: A 25-Year Restudy of Parity among the Ohio Amish
Population Studies
Wasao, Samson, Cory Anderson, and Christian Mpody. 2021.
75(3):477-86.
What Kinds of Places Attract and Sustain Amish Populations?
Rural Sociology
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