Weather and children’s allocation of time: Evidence from India

How individuals spend their time has a crucial bearing on their well-being. Climate change—by modifying the environmental determinants of time disposition—can alter time-use patterns among individuals. The present paper contributes to the limited literature in this direction. Utilising data from the Time Use Survey, 2019, the present paper investigates the influence of weather on time allocation for learning and leisure among children. The results suggest that individuals substitute leisure for learning during days with extreme temperatures. Hot days lower time allocation to learning by around 8 per cent, driven primarily by a reduction in school/university attendance. The impact of hot days is muted in places with a warmer climate, suggesting evidence of longer-run acclimatisation. However, I fail to find any conclusive evidence of short-run adaptation to unpleasant weather. The findings further reveal interesting heterogeneities in the temperature-time use relationship across gender, education and income. The study concludes with some policy suggestions. JEL: C01, I2, J13, J22, J24.