The present study investigated the existence of socially standardized perceptions (stereotypes) of individuals with different numbers of children. Using an indirect measure in which respondents were asked to describe their perceptions of fictitious individuals assigned one of six family size statuses it was found that voluntarily childless individuals and parents of one child were viewed most negatively. Parents with eight children and involuntarily childless individuals were rated highly in terms of social desirability. Perceptions of voluntarily childless persons and parents of eight children were found to be systematically related to the age educational attainment religion and family size of respondents. (authors)
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Denise F. Polit (1978) studied this question.