Geographic variation in personality is associated with fertility across the United States

Levels of fertility and the shape age-specific schedule vary substantially across U.S. regions with some states having peak relatively early others late. Structural institutions or economic factors partly explain these heterogeneous patterns, but regional differences in personality might also contribute to fertility. Here, we evaluated whether variation extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness experience measured at state-level was associated level, timing, context above beyond sociodemographics, voting behavior, religiosity. Generally, higher levels agreeableness conscientiousness had more traditional neuroticism nontraditional even after controlling for established correlates (r ~ |.50|). Personality is an overlooked correlate that can be leveraged understand existence persistence differentials.