摘要：The Theory of Reasoned Action (or Theory of Planned Behaviour, TPB),
developed primarily by Fishbein and Ajzen, has been useful in hundreds of
studies and for more than three decades. A quick examination of Google Scholar
data on the author Ajzen1 (Harzing 2010) shows over 65,000 citations; three TPBrelated
papers have over 10,000 citations and five more have over 1,000 citations
each! The impact and usefulness of this general approach is unquestioned. The
popularity of the approach does not appear to be fading. Fishbein and Ajzen¡¯s
recent book (2010) provides the most recent statement of the theory, documents
its use in multiple contexts and responds to some critiques. Ajzen, a keynote
speaker at the recent VID conference (From intentions to behaviour: reproductive
decision-making in a macro-micro perspective), made the case for the general
TPB approach, but he challenged demographers to alter it in ways that make it
appropriate for fertility research. A number of fertility-related papers and research
projects have adopted aspects of this approach and the VID conference adopted
the TPB as a cornerstone of discussion. Thus, we ask the fundamental question: Is
the theory of planned behaviour an appropriate model for human fertility? Before
answering it, we first describe briefly the TPB, review some troubling evidence
vis-¨¤-vis TPB and fertility and then raise more general issues that we have
attempted to resolve in our own work (Johnson-Hanks et al. 2011).
