Americans are divided about whether the U.S. birth rate is too high (23%) or too low (22%), but are more likely to say that there are too many children being born worldwide (29%) than that there aren't enough (15%), a new YouGov survey finds.
Around one-quarter of Americans say that about the right number of children are being born in the U.S., and about the same share say that is the case worldwide.
Whether it's about the U.S. or the world, women, liberals, non-parents, and younger adults are relatively more likely to say too many children are being born, while men, conservatives, parents, and older adults are relatively more likely to say not enough are.
Political ideology in particular is powerfully associated with beliefs about the birth rate. Among Americans who identify as very liberal, 35% say too many children are being born and 9% say not enough are. Among those who identify as very conservative, 15% say there are too many children and 43% say there aren't enough.
Gender also has a powerful association with beliefs about the birth rate. Women are less likely than men to say that not enough children are being born — overall, as well as among parents and non-parents, within every political ideology, and in every age bracket.
While views on the birth rate differ between liberals and conservatives, the issue isn't of equal importance across the political spectrum. 59% of those who identify as very conservative say the number of children being born in the U.S. is very important, while just 22% of those who are very liberal say it is.
Among those who say the birth rate is too high, 33% say the number of children being born in the U.S. is very important. 62% of those who say the birth rate is too low say the same.
See the results for this poll:
- Worldwide, do you think that…?
- In the United States, do you think that…?
- Do you think that the number of children being born in the U.S. is…?
Methodology: This Daily Questions survey was conducted online on August 5, 2024 among 3,386 U.S. adults. The samples were weighted according to gender, age, race, education, U.S. census region, and political party. The margin of error is approximately 2%.
Image: Getty
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