Maybe the other countries are already happy/content and don’t think it can get any better – whereas the American respondents are not currently happy and need to hope for a better future.

I am a happy Canadian and would answer the Harris poll as ‘not expecting the future to improve’ because I can’t see how my life could improve.

A lot of the explanations for why Americans have a higher birth rate also apply to Canada (more ‘dirt’, lots of immigration, descendants of immigrants) but Canadians have a low birth rate. Exploring the differences between these two similar countries may help answer why Americans are so fertile.

Maybe the other countries are already happy/content and don’t think it can get any better – whereas the American respondents are not currently happy and need to hope for a better future.

I am a happy Canadian and would answer the Harris poll as ‘not expecting the future to improve’ because I can’t see how my life could improve.

A lot of the explanations for why Americans have a higher birth rate also apply to Canada (more ‘dirt’, lots of immigration, descendants of immigrants) but Canadians have a low birth rate. Exploring the differences between these two similar countries may help answer why Americans are so fertile.

There may be social trends at work that aren’t happening simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic. For instance the explosion in pre marital sex we’ve seen in the west didn’t start everywhere at once. The same could be true for birth rates. Whatever factors that are at work in Europe might start revealing their hand in the USA in a decade or two (if ever).

There may be social trends at work that aren’t happening simultaneously on either side of the Atlantic. For instance the explosion in pre marital sex we’ve seen in the west didn’t start everywhere at once. The same could be true for birth rates. Whatever factors that are at work in Europe might start revealing their hand in the USA in a decade or two (if ever).

There is no one reason why the birth rates are higher here than in Europe, it is a combination of factors that make child rearing more favorable and attractive. However, once you have attained what you want in life on a material level, which is easy to do in America, most find that they are still not content with life and will try to increase there relationships with other humans. Children also give one a feeling that their time on this mortal coil was not a complete waste of time and that they are leaving behind a legacy that will live on after their death.

There is no one reason why the birth rates are higher here than in Europe, it is a combination of factors that make child rearing more favorable and attractive. However, once you have attained what you want in life on a material level, which is easy to do in America, most find that they are still not content with life and will try to increase there relationships with other humans. Children also give one a feeling that their time on this mortal coil was not a complete waste of time and that they are leaving behind a legacy that will live on after their death.

Seattle is often cited these days as a “blue-state” place with a low birth rate, compared to Salt Lake City being a “red-state” place with a higher birth rate. Guess what guys? 25 years ago Seattle used to be a “family” town with a Salt Lake City like birth rate. Today, it is not. Why? Because housing is way more expensive compared to income than it was 25 years ago. 25 years ago, Seattle housing was comparable to Salt Lake City. Today, its like California.

I can cite example after example. California’s Central valley (often called the Sam Juaquin Valley) has become expansive as well. What cost $200K now goes for $400K. The trend is not limited to major cities. Even Bend, Oregon (population 50K) has a median house price of $350K.

Of course, much of this is based on a speculative bubble and does not reflect the “fundamental” value of real estate. But does anyone here really expect real estate values to return to 1995-2000 price levels (If you do, I’ve got a hot deal on a bridge for you)?

The muslims in Europe do not have their “third world” birth rates. They have birth rates slightly higher than current U.S., but are falling almost as fast as the white European levels. Indeed, even much of the third world no longer has “third world” like birth rates. Both Turkey and Iran are below replacement and Egypt is falling fast. India’s at 2.85 kids per woman (the muslim rate is around 3) and is falling fast. Only sub-Saharan Africa has really high birth-rates and even these are starting to decline in some countries.

Back to the U.S. If housing prices continue their long term trend of rising faster than income, you can donuts to dollars that the U.S. will have European (and East Asian) birth rates within the next 20 years (I think within 10 years).

Seattle is often cited these days as a “blue-state” place with a low birth rate, compared to Salt Lake City being a “red-state” place with a higher birth rate. Guess what guys? 25 years ago Seattle used to be a “family” town with a Salt Lake City like birth rate. Today, it is not. Why? Because housing is way more expensive compared to income than it was 25 years ago. 25 years ago, Seattle housing was comparable to Salt Lake City. Today, its like California.

I can cite example after example. California’s Central valley (often called the Sam Juaquin Valley) has become expansive as well. What cost $200K now goes for $400K. The trend is not limited to major cities. Even Bend, Oregon (population 50K) has a median house price of $350K.

Of course, much of this is based on a speculative bubble and does not reflect the “fundamental” value of real estate. But does anyone here really expect real estate values to return to 1995-2000 price levels (If you do, I’ve got a hot deal on a bridge for you)?

The muslims in Europe do not have their “third world” birth rates. They have birth rates slightly higher than current U.S., but are falling almost as fast as the white European levels. Indeed, even much of the third world no longer has “third world” like birth rates. Both Turkey and Iran are below replacement and Egypt is falling fast. India’s at 2.85 kids per woman (the muslim rate is around 3) and is falling fast. Only sub-Saharan Africa has really high birth-rates and even these are starting to decline in some countries.

Back to the U.S. If housing prices continue their long term trend of rising faster than income, you can donuts to dollars that the U.S. will have European (and East Asian) birth rates within the next 20 years (I think within 10 years).

One factor people are overlooking I think is the acceptability of motherhood in the United States. Motherhood as a calling has withstood the onslaught of “modernism” in America in a way that it did not in Western Europe. America has a nostalgia for its roots and I think we underestimate how many people, young women especially, still hope for and work toward the nuclear family ideal.