Should Americans have more kids?

About this episode

Kara Miller discusses the declining fertility rate in America with economist Kasey Buckles, exploring its implications and potential solutions.

The fertility rate in America has fallen more than 20 percent in the last two decades. Why is this happening, and should we try to turn it around? The drop is even more stark, if you look back several decades, to a time when women were having - on average - close to four kids each. Kara is joined by Notre Dame economist Kasey Buckles, who argues that the numbers aren't what they seem. She explains why the post-war "Baby Boom" was actually a historical anomaly, and discusses whether the Trump administration's proposed $5,000 baby bonuses might actually move the needle. Plus, could increasing political divisions between men and women be slowing family formation? And which segments of society are most likely to say they aren’t having the number of children they want? Did you know you can also watch the show? Subscribe to the show on YouTube! Sign up for our Substack!

People in this episode

Host: Kara Miller

Guest: Kasey Buckles

Topics covered

• fertility rate
• family formation
• economic incentives
• political divisions
• demographics

Keywords

• fertility rate
• baby boom
• family planning
• economic incentives
• political divisions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Notre Dame, Trump administration

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