High housing costs and unequal chore loads may not fully explain the drop in birth rates around the world, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute.
uncertain
costs → explain → Studies
The survey of nearly 10,000 respondents across more than a dozen countries points to culture, finding that peer pressure, anxiety about the future and the rise of "pet parenting" strongly influence whether couples choose to start or grow a family.
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couples → point → family
"Ultra-Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn have six kids each.
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Jews → have → kids
Their hipster neighbors have 1.6 kids each," Lyman Stone, senior fellow and director of the Pronatalism Initiative at the Institute for Family Studies, told Fox News Digital.
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Stone → have → Digital
"They live in the same economy.
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They → live → economy
They have very different outcomes.
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They → have → outcomes
The report also tested whether sharing chores affects fertility intentions, finding no statistically significant relationship between family planning and either the division of household responsibilities or perceptions of fairness.
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sharing → test → fairness
"There's been a lot of research on, you know, 'If men did more laundry, would birth rates go up?
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rates → be → laundry
If men helped out more at home, would birth rates go up?'
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rates → help → home
And the answer is basically no," Stone said.
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Stone → say → ?
"The last 30 years have seen a revolution in involved fatherhood.
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years → see → fatherhood
Dads are doing more at home than ever before and fertility rates keep plummeting," he added to Fox News Digital.
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he → do → Digital
One of the strongest associations researchers identified was between fertility intentions and having a supportive circle of friends.
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researchers → identify → friends
Believing that one's friends would celebrate a new baby was linked to a 10% increase in desired family size and a 20% higher likelihood of intending to have another child.
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friends → believe → child
"All around the world, we just found that friends are really important," Stone said.
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Stone → find → world
"Where peer culture ratifies and encourages family life, family life is more successful."
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life → ratify → life
The association extended beyond friends to admired public figures.
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association → extend → figures
Respondents who admired a celebrity with more children than they had were 14% more likely to intend to have another child.
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they → admire → child
Researchers also identified a connection between attitudes toward pets and decisions about having children.
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Researchers → identify → children
Respondents who expressed a preference for being a "pet parent" rather than having children reported a 30% lower desired family size and showed a 50% drop in intentions to have more children.
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who → express → children
The problem is the attitude," Stone said.
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Stone → say → ?
"That says that, you know, changing a litter box is truly as meaningful as changing a diaper.
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changing → say → diaper
And I just have to tell you, it isn't."
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it → have → you
Researchers found that risk aversion, anxiety about the future and general pessimism were also associated with smaller desired families.
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aversion → find → families
Respondents who were more comfortable taking risks and optimistic about their futures tended to desire and have more children.
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who → take → children
"Some decline in fertility may just be because there's bad vibes," Stone said to Fox News Digital.
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Stone → be → Digital
"There's just the internet constantly telling you that everything is bad, everything's getting worse and there’s a million things to be worried about and you shouldn't take any risks."
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you → be → risks
"I hate to tell you, but yeah, having children has a possibility of hurting you, both physically, financially and emotionally, in the long run, you know, a child who grows up to reject you is a very painful thing.
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who → hate → you
But there is also great reward," he added.
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he → be → ?
Encouragement from parents was another significant factor associated with fertility intentions.
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Encouragement → associate → intentions
According to the study, "Parental encouragement to have children is associated with an 11% increase in desired number of children and a 30% increase in the likelihood of intending to have another one."
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encouragement → accord → one
Encouraging childless, cohabiting adult children to marry was also associated with a 14% higher likelihood of intending to have a child.
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children → encourage → child
But Stone cautioned that guilt-tripping adult children into having kids may be ineffective.
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tripping → caution → kids
Instead, he suggested parents share the joy they experienced raising children and offer practical support.
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they → suggest → support
"If you're a parent and you want grandbabies from your adult children, you probably won't get very far telling them that they owe you grandbabies," Stone said.
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Stone → want → grandbabies
"But you may get somewhere telling them stories of how much you enjoyed raising them and how much fun you think you're going to have helping them raise their children.
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them → get → children
Religion was another factor linked to larger families.
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Religion → link → families
Respondents with the highest levels of religious devotion had 9% more children and were 12% more likely to intend to have another child.
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Respondents → have → child
But researchers found no statistically significant relationship between hearing clergy speak about family and family size.
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clergy → find → size
Instead, the findings suggest religious communities may be associated with fertility intentions through friendships and networks of practical support, including help with meals and celebrating the arrival of a new baby.
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communities → suggest → baby
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
