Why Are Americans Having Fewer Babies? Should We Care?

From America Trends Podcast:

Among demographers and others, even marketers, there are serious conversations going on about the consequences of plummeting birth rates. In the way that we often discuss retirement–do you have enough money to live on the rest of your life–we ignore the psychological, as well as economical effects of couples having fewer children and our society as a whole. Sure, the federal safety net programs, primarily Social Security and Medicare, both targeted at older Americans generally, will suffer, but what about the psychology of human flourishing and the energy and innovation a society relies on to move forward? Without more ‘future adults’ and the contributions they will make, much is in peril. To provide more context and nuance to a concern about falling birth rates is Clay Routledge, the Vice President of Research and Director of the Human Flourishing Lab at Archbridge Institute. He’s an existential psychologist(and he will explain that term) and has a new book out called “Past Forward.” His weekly newsletter is Flourishing Friday.

Listen to the episode.