Coombs L C
Stud Fam Plann. 1979 Jan;10(1):25-36.
Although about half the married women in a US survey said they wanted one or two children, underlying family-size preferences indicate a potential for many to have larger families. Using a measure of family-size preference that probes beyond single-valued statements, it is found that identical stated family-size desires or intentions may have different meanings for different people. Differences are systematically related to the stage in family building at which contraception begins, to current (or likelihood of future) use of effective methods, to the probability of continued childbearing, and to unwanted pregnancies.
尽管在美国一项调查中，约一半已婚女性表示她们想要一两个孩子，但潜在的家庭规模偏好表明许多人有组建更大规模家庭的可能性。通过一种超越单一值陈述来探究家庭规模偏好的衡量方法发现，相同的既定家庭规模愿望或意图对不同的人可能有不同含义。这些差异与开始避孕时所处的家庭组建阶段、当前（或未来使用的可能性）有效避孕方法的使用情况、继续生育的可能性以及意外怀孕情况存在系统性关联。
