Is America’s Religious Decline Responsible for Falling Birthrates?
Nonreligious Americans Are More Hesitant to Have Children
Americans are having fewer children. A new government report found that the birth rate in the United States hit an all-time low in 2024. Whether this constitutes a crisis may depend on what you believe is causing it. Is it the inevitable result of expanding economic opportunities for women? Improved access to and education about birth control? Or is it the result of a more individualistic culture that prioritizes professional accomplishment and individual achievement?
Declining fertility rates are probably not attributable to a single cause, but in the United States, there is a strong connection to one of the defining cultural trends of the 21st century—the collapse of religious participation. In the U.S., falling birth rates have accompanied a dramatic decline in formal religious participation. Over the last 20 years, the percentage of Americans attending worship services weekly fell from 42 percent to 30 percent, according to a recent Gallup report. These trends have transformed adol…
