A factor analysis of adolescents' responses to a 35-item inventory yielded four independent factors. The findings of this study lend strong support to the hypothesis that there are several orthogonal dimensions of beliefs, perceived social pressures, and decisions involved in 240 adolescents' statements about how many children they expect, plan, or hope to procreate and rear during their lifetimes. The implications of these findings are discussed in the several contexts of their social consequences.
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