I’ve noticed that Catfish is quite well known by my students, but this research focuses on another MTV-show.

This infographic gives an overview of a new study coauthored by Wellesley economist Phillip B. Levine and University of Maryland economist Melissa S. Kearney:

Still I do think that maybe the influence is a bit overrated, as we see a decline in many different Western societies, still it’s not hard to see that this program can have had a serious part in this decline. If they online had looked at twitter-data, one could imagine serious distortion. By looking at also the search-evolutions via Google this is countered to an extent.

If you want to learn more about the study:

Full Study: “Media Influences on Social Outcomes: The Impact of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant on Teen Childbearing,” Levine and Kearney. National Bureau of Economic Research; January 13, 2014.

Press Release: “New Study Finds MTV’s 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom Contributed to Record Decline in U.S. Teen Childbearing Rate“

Huffington Post: Levine & Kearney, “Is MTV’s 16 and Pregnant ‘A Great Form of Birth Control?”