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Breaking Research: What Drives Couples to Have More Babies?

More and more people are becoming aware that the number of human births is seriously tanking across most of the world. This fact creates great challenges for every country’s future prosperity and growth.

But not everyone is not having kids. Beliefs and attitudes matter significantly here.

For the last two decades, strictly-Orthodox Jews living in the New York City metro area averaged 7.5 babies born per woman. Their well-educated, native-born non-Hispanic more liberal white female neighbors had only 1.58 babies. Amish communities in rural Ohio average 6 children per woman. Ohio at large has below replacement fertility at just 2 children per woman.

Deciding against having plenty of children is certainly not a function of cost. Culture and personal beliefs matter greatly. An important new report from scholars at the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) and the Wheatley Institute explores the nature of these drivers of human fertility, and these insights are deeply needed given how fast global fertility is declining. This research report, entitled “Baby Nudges: How Social Influences Shape Fertility Choices,” explains how the make-up and nature of a couple’s social network can positively or negatively impact their lifetime fertility. In short, who we hang around with and allow ourselves to be influenced by has big consequences for the new people we bring into the world.

These scholars explain, “We know fertility is contagious, but we do not know exactly what is being ‘caught.’” They surveyed nearly 10,000 respondents from over a dozen countries, spanning the United States and the U.K., Japan, Israel, China and Korea, allowing this research team to provide “first-of-a-kind evidence” on what personal beliefs, behaviors and cultural norms lead to increased births in particular communities.

So, what did these scholars find?

First, they explain, “We find resounding evidence that peers do matter to fertility.” Drawing from their poll and published academic literature, they report that “across cultures, perceptions of peer support for childbearing matter a great deal.” When a couple has friends who are having babies and support one another in having and caring for those babies, this translates into higher birthrates. A pro-natality mindset is positively infectious. Specifically, they explain:

Believing one’s friends would celebrate a new baby is associated with a 10% increase in desired number of children and a 20% increase in the likelihood of intending to have another child, while 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.

Friends and parents matter a great deal. IFS’s data chart on this looks like this:

Active and seriously held faith is also a positive fertility driver. This report asserts,

Being in the top third of respondents in religiosity is associated with having 9% more children than other respondents, with positive effects showing up in many countries. This is also associated with desire for more kids (+15%) and a higher likelihood of intending to have another child (+12%).

Interestingly, this is “not driven by the frequency of pro-family statements from religious leaders but is more likely due to greater support and encouragement from family and other religious community members.” These scholars further explain, “Thus, while religious leaders promulgating pronatal norms may not always be very effective, religious communities that choose to support young families, create role models for joyful family life, inspire higher family aspirations, and motivate communities of mutual support among members, can be very effective at encouraging family formation.”

What is more, religious people tend to have more fertility-supportive friends. This is true all around the world, except curiously, in Ireland.

This largely translates into higher birthrates among such people because our friends and family members impact our behavior in powerful ways. And the Anglo and Middle Eastern worlds are far more likely to offer such help than Asia.

Surprisingly, these scholars also found that having a positive perspective on the future and being more willing to take risks – not captured by high levels of “safety-ism” – are related to having more children over couples who do not have these qualities.

They also document how well-promoted celebrity pregnancies can boost the fertility of others who follow these celebrities and this can be a global phenomenon. But celebrities who do not have children can also have an anti-natal impact. Humans tend to follow the examples of those we admire, even if we do not know them personally. This chart shows how this works out across select nations.

These scholars explain, “Simply put, the fertility and family patterns of celebrities, politicians, athletes, influencers, and other public figures are very likely to shape the desires, intentions, and – ultimately – the behaviors of their young admirers.”

Humans are social creatures. We are not as inclined to increase our fertility when government leaders offer financial and policy incentives. That is because the decision to have a first, second, or third child is not fully an economic consideration. Policy levers can help to small degrees and should be wisely pursued. This report says that policy makers would be wise to emphasize the truth that family life can indeed be a pleasant and joyful experience. After all, important IFS research does consistently demonstrate that married moms and dads are markedly happier than their unmarried and childless peers.

But having babies (or not) is a much more visceral decision driven by more personal factors, like the behaviors and norms of our peer group. Research is now indicating that the behaviors and attitudes of people around us really make the biggest difference.

So, if you think having babies is an essential human virtue, and it most certainly is, seek out friends who are in the midst of growing larger families, and doing it well. You can also become an encourager in this regard to others around you, as well. Baby-making is contagious.

Related articles and resources: 

Fertility Decline is Widespread Across Education Levels

Troubling Fertility Decline: Fixed by Pagan or Christian Sexual Ethics?

The Pressing Need to Fix Global Fertility Decline and How to Do It

Married Mothers and Fathers Are Happiest According to Gold-Standard General Social Survey

New Family Study Shows Importance of Married Parenting

Is Inflation Driving Fertility’s Decline?

American Deaths to Exceed Births Faster Than Expected, CBO Reports

U.S. Fertility Rate Falls to Lowest on Record – Again

Global Population Has Passed ‘Peak Child’ – an Ominous Milestone

Gallup Data Reveals Support for LGBT Ideology is Declining

This June marks the 16th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court redefining marriage and the family away from male and female unions and parenting in their landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision.

This marked a radical turn for our nation’s understanding and practice of marriage and parenting. We now have fundamentally falsely named organizations like Men Having Babies working to erase motherhood by claiming any configuration of adults raising kids is equally valid.

This is likely why new Gallup polling data is showing declines in support for LGBT ideology. Gallup explains, “Approval of same-sex marriage, moral acceptance of gay and lesbian relations, and endorsement of gender changes are all down from peaks reached in the early 2020s.” It’s about time.

Support for such things had been declining among conservative Americans for some time. But this year charts a marked decline among more liberal citizens, who even seem to be souring on gay and lesbian relationships as seen here:

Support for same-sex relationships among liberals declined about 5 percentage points over last year, back down to 2023/2024 levels. It has been falling consistently among conservatives and independents.

Support for the legal validity of same-sex “marriage” has taken a similar tumble over the past few years as well. The number of Americans who believed such unions are valid hit a high of 71% in 2022 and 2023. But that number slid markedly to 65% this year, an overall 6-point drop. Yet, when you ask conservative Americans, we see a remarkable 18-point drop in support. Support from independents has dropped to somewhere in between.

Across the board, the declining national trendlines look like this in support for same-sex “marriage,” relationships and the morality of gender transitions:

Reason for These Declines?

So, what could be the reasons for these consequential declines for support for the gender revolution? That is a key question. No one really knows for sure.

Focus on the Family believes it has to do with the clearly destructive behavior of LGBT activists and their dramatic overreach. They falsely promised their dramatic changes to marriage, family and the definitions of male and female would not harm anyone. They promised these were just private choices between responsible adults. 

Of course, that was never true. Now people are seeing this fact for themselves in dramatic ways, like this, this, this, this, this and this.

People see intentionally motherless children being acquired and paraded by gay men like this:

They are also seeing that girls and women are being displaced from safe women-only spaces by boys and men who think they are women.

People are realizing how crazy gender ideology really is in its dramatic strong-armed redefinition of what it means to be human. We predict our nation and the rest of the world are going to see more decline in support for these terribly destructive ideas.

Related Articles and Resources:

Support for Same-Sex Marriage and Relationships Declines Among Conservatives

Here’s What Happens When Good People Don’t Connect Gay and Trans Ideology

How the Binary in ‘LGBTQ+’ Reveals Its Utter Incoherence

Why Focus on the Family Cares About the Gender Issue?

Yes, Sexuality and Gender Are Undeniable Gospel Issues

Why Christians Can’t Avoid the “Trans” and Gender Redefinition Issue

How the “Trans” and Gender Redefinition Issue Attacks the Family

Why the ‘LGBT Person’ and ‘LGBT Community’ Don’t Really Exist

How to Respond to “Trans” and Gender Ideology? Simple: Live Not by Lies

Are Sex and Gender Different Things?

No GLAAD, Gender Ideology is NOT ‘Settled Science.’ It’s the Opposite

Families Are Moving to a Better Life … in Red States

Across the country, families are packing up their beloved and settled homes and starting a new life elsewhere. What’s motivating them to go to so much trouble?

The data show it’s politics and beliefs. They are leaving blue states for red states. And married couples are also more likely to start their families with babies in red states.

This is the finding of the 2026 Family Structure Index created jointly by Ohio’s Center for Christian Virtue and the Institute for Family Studies (IFS). They report, “From 2019 to 2024, there has been a steady exodus of families from Blue to Red America – 370,000 families from blue to red states.” In fact, 713,000 married families with children have packed up fromblue states and headed for red since 2008. With numbers like this, it’s likely you know such a family.

That is quite a dramatic national shift and others have noted it previously.

States like Florida, Texas, Utah, Idaho and South Carolina are benefiting from this trend. Husbands and wives are making this move because these states have resisted following crazy policy decisions favored by left-leaning politicians and voters relative to education, sexuality, immigration and economic policy. Affordable housing is another big factor. 

As Aaron Baer and Brad Wilcox, the primary principals of this study explain, “In many blue states, especially on the coasts, restrictive zoning and high costs have pushed homeownership out of reach for young families.” They add, “In much of red America, that dream remains attainable.”

Tax policy has also motivated these blue-to-red migrations. Baer and Wilcox observe, “Lower tax burdens in many red states leave families with more room in their budgets, whether for childcare, a good private school or saving for the future.”

The problem with blue-run cities has gotten so bad even liberal New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof admitted the problem in 2024, reporting “the bluest parts of the country – cities on the West Coast – are a mess.” But of course, it is more than just the West Coast. Our state of Colorado, where Focus on the Family and its employees live, seems to be working overtime to run off reasonable people, as The Babylon Bee recently noted.

But it is not only that strong conservative families are moving into red states. More conservative states are home-growing more families. Red states have been shown to be notably more fertile than blue states. 

The Institute for Family Studies finds, “From 2019 to 2024, red states saw the share of prime-age adults who are married rise 1.8 percentage points and the share of teens in married-parent families rise 0.2 points; blue states saw both figures fall.”

IFS demonstrates these red/blue differentials here:

Yes, fertility has dropped for both, but it has declined much more starkly among blue states.

Baer and Wilcox conclude,

The Great American Family Sort is more than a demographic shift. It is a signal. Families are making their priorities clear through where they choose to live and have children. The question is whether the rest of the country is paying attention.

They should. As IFS observes, “Americans who put family first are increasingly making their home in Red America.” People are paying attention to what various states are doing with their public policy and voting with their feet … and their moving vans.

Medicalizing Gender Confusion Makes Things Worse, New Research Confirms

New research from Finland further demonstrates that the supposed “settled science” that gender medicine helps youth and young adults live healthier lives is not so settled after all. In fact, the research shows medicalizing gender confusion makes it worse.

It started with the suicide lie. Medical professionals told parents that if they did not wholly support, and pay for(!), their child’s gender transition, they might tragically take their own life. “Would you rather have a living son or a dead daughter?” parents were manipulatively warned by their child’s medical or psychiatric professionals. 

We now know that turned out to be false. The highly reliable Cass Review, conducted in the U.K. and published in 2024, reports, “In summary, the evidence does not adequately support the claim that gender affirming treatment reduces suicide risk” [see 15.43]. The Review also notes, “Tragically deaths by suicide in trans people of all ages continue to be above the national average, but there is no evidence that gender-affirmative treatments reduce this” [see 16.22].

Dr. Kenneth Zucker, a longtime leading expert in the field of youth gender, told Gender Clinic News, “It is now time to bury the ‘trans kid or dead kid’ trope.” He said this based on a 2024 Finnish study – “a very important study,” Zucker noted – which shows that suicide death rates are not alarmingly high for gender confused kids. In fact, they are no higher than rates for peers with any psychiatric treatment history and “medical gender reassignment does not have an impact on suicide risk.”

The four authors of this Finnish study have just published a very large nationally representative study spanning 3-decades which shows severe psychiatric problems are dramatically higher in adolescents and young adults who have sought out medical services for gender identity issues compared with other psychiatric patients of the same age.

This study followed young people 22 years of age and below from 1996 through 2019 who contacted that nation’s Specialized Gender Identity Services and compared them with a similar control group of psychiatric patients. Its findings strongly challenge the claims of trans activists.

The researchers explain that adolescents seeking gender change procedures “showed significantly higher psychiatric morbidity than controls” prior to seeking such services. Specifically, 46% of teens and young adults with gender confusion reported some form of serious psychiatric problem compared with just 15% of the general population that age seeking any psychiatric services.

Yet these rates of serious psychological problems increased significantly after two years undergoing gender medical services, 62% compared to the 46% at the start of the medical interventions.

Another astounding, but not surprising, data fact is that those youth referred after 2010 “had greater psychiatric needs than earlier cohorts, both before (47.9% vs. 15.3%) and ≥ 2 years after (61.3% vs. 14.2%) referral.” This means the trans craze that exploded over the last 10-plus years has had a measurably negative effect.

These scholars add,

Among adolescents who underwent medical gender reassignment, psychiatric morbidity increased markedly during follow-up – rising from 9.8% to 60.7% in feminizing gender reassignment and from 21.6% to 54.5% in masculinizing gender reassignment. After adjusting for prior psychiatric treatment, all gender-referred adolescents had similarly elevated risks of psychiatric morbidity, with hazard ratios approximately three times higher than female controls and five times higher than male controls.

In short, “The need for specialist-level psychiatric treatment increased considerably in follow-up among those who underwent medical GR [gender reassignment].”

These Finnish researchers conclude, “This does not support the suggested improvement in mental health after medical gender reassignment initiated during developmental years.”

It is continued revelations from careful research like this that are leading medical professionals to increasingly back away from their previous support for the trans agenda. The truth will continue to come out as good, honest research comes to press.

Additional Resources:

A Singularly Christian View of the Transgender Problem

Why Christians Can’t Avoid the “Trans” and Gender Redefinition Issue

Yes, Transgenderism is a False Belief System

New Research Shows ‘Transgender’ Identity Dramatically Driven by Immaturity

‘The New York Times’ and 20 State AGs Expose Medical Groups’ Trans Agenda

The APA’s 5 Failed Critiques of HHS Report Discrediting Sex-Rejecting Procedures for Kids

Florida Sues Medical Groups for Promoting ‘Transgender’ Mutilation of Children

What Does it Mean to Be Trans, Anyway?

How the “Trans” and Gender Redefinition Issue Attacks the Family

Do Not Fall for the ‘Affirm Them or They Will Die’ Lie

American College of Pediatricians: No Benefits From ‘Gender-Affirming’ Interventions

Research Shows Young Men Want Marriage Yet Lack Confidence in Dating

An important new survey from the Institute for Family Studies (IFS) on the marital and fatherhood interests of young men in America tell us that only 6% of those age 18 through 23 are married and just 25% of those between 24 and 29-years of age have a wedding ring on their finger. And less than one-third of unmarried men are currently in a romantic relationship. For those young men who do marry, most of them marry after age 30 as the average age of first marriage for men is 30.2.

As IFS notes, “Young men, in sum, are having a hard time in matters of love.”

So, are young men even interested in marriage and fatherhood? That is an extremely important question for the family formation prospects in the United States, and the news might be better than most imagine.

This new IFS data indicates that young men still have a high interest in marrying with 68% saying a definite “yes” while only 21% are “not sure” for various reasons and only 11% express no desire to marry at all. Conservatives are notably more likely than moderates or liberals to indicate an interest in marriage, as well as those currently in a relationship.

Religious young men are notably more likely to show an interest in marriage over their secular or nominally religious peers. The differentials are 88%, 60% and 71% respectively.

Those who have earned or are pursuing a college education are more likely to be interested in marrying. Not surprisingly, those who are not currently working are much more likely to be unsure or not interested in marrying. This is significant as the number of young men classified as NEET – not employed, pursuing any education or training – has increased, doubling since 1990.

For the minority of men who are not sure or not planning to marry, the leading reasons given were “hard to find the right person” (44%), “other life priorities” (40%), “unnecessary” (38%), and “not ready to make a commitment” at 36%. Only 32% listed finances as a leading hinderance.

Desire to be Dads

A strong majority of young American men (62%) say they would like to have children one day. Only 19% said they definitely would not, while 20% said they were not sure. Married men were more likely to say they wanted children (76% vs 61% for unmarried), once again showing that marriage is one of the greatest promoters of national fertility.

Conservative-leaning men are the most likely to say they want children at 76%, while only 48% of liberal men said they definitely want children. Just 10% of conservative men said they were sure they did not want children, while 30% of liberal and 15% of moderate-leaning men said they did not.

Like marriage, religion is a very positive factor driving greater interest in fatherhood. Eighty-three percent of religious men said they wanted to become fathers with only 6% of them saying they had no interest. In fact, religion was the most powerful differential followed by conservatism. Only 51% of secular men desire to be fathers, while a quarter said they did not desire this and 24% were “not sure.” Nominal believers fell right in the middle between these two.

The Dating Hurdle

Of course, young men cannot get married and become married fathers if they never meet the girl who will become their wives. There is a very real dating drought in America. 

Yet this new IFS data tells us that young single men are very interested (74%) in dating and religious (82%) and conservative men (80%) are far more likely to be interested in dating than their secular (71%) and liberal (71%) peers. Full-time employed and college students were highly likely to be interested in dating as well, at 77% and 79%.

So, what is keeping these men from getting out there and meeting their romantic interest? IFS explains, “About half indicate that it has been difficult to find someone who will go out with them, and nearly 6 in 10 report that that the fear of being turned down makes them reluctant to ask.” This matches with a recent IFS report that said 29% of men reported feeling “confident when approaching someone I’m interested in.” Only 39% of young men believe, “I am attractive to potential dating partners.”

A mere third of men confessed they were good at picking up on social cues on a date, while 42% said they were “good at managing my emotions when on a date.” And just 39% of men said, “I trust my judgement when it comes to choosing a romantic partner.” Sadly, only 31% of men were able to stay positive after a bad date or a relationship setback. These are very sad findings.

So, the real problems facing men meeting their future wife and mother of their children is not one of desire or interest. It is a lack of confidence in one’s potential as a desirable partner and ability to be an interesting, poised date.

This is hopeful news because the desire for dating, marriage and fatherhood is clearly present in young men. We just need to help them build the confidence and skills needed to meet, propose to, and marry the woman who will be their future wife. Family formation in America rests on us doing a better job at helping these young men develop these basic adult skills. We must get busy coming up with sure ways to build this confidence in young men. This polling data reveals they are asking for that help!

Related Articles and Resources: 

The American Dating Drought and Hope for Fixing It

New Study: Online Dating Produces Fewer Healthy Relationships

Young Person Explains Why Young People Aren’t Getting Married

Who Falls in Love Faster, Men or Women?

Make Dating for Marriage Great Again

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Men

Important New Research on How Married Parents Improve Child Well-Being

How Marriage Fights Against Deaths of Despair

New Research: Marriage Still Provides Major Happiness Premium

Harvard Evolutionary Biologist Brilliantly Explains Necessity of Monogamous Marriage