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2 major methods have been used to study correlates of cross-sectional fertility differences: 1) the correlation of various personal characteristics with individual fertility; and 2) the correlation of average characteristics of population aggregates with the average fertility of these aggregates. In the present study 8 independent variables were correlated with 1 measure of fertility. The level of infant mortality has been shown to be associated with fertility. The universe for the present study consisted of 3134 counties (or county equivalents) in the United States. From these a 1-in-5 sample was selected by combining 2 1-in-10 systematic samples each having a different random starting point. 2 variables the proportion of Roman Catholics in the archdiocese or diocese to which the county belongs and the log 10 of the population potential in the county are found to be the most important in accounting for variation in the age-standardized fertility of United States county populations. There is little reason to doubt that these 2 variables are causally influential.
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Heer et al. (1970) studied this question.
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