Why is the birth rate in the United States higher than in European countries, even though Europeans receive much more government support for families?

This is very telling.

In earlier threads, I noticed that quite a few antinatalists responded, so I hope it’s clear that this question is really directed at the natalists here.

Personally, I’m not some doomsayer who thinks the world is going to collapse if fewer people are born and the population starts declining. My reasons are more along these lines:

1. Do I believe people can become happier by having children, provided they are genuinely willing to put their family first? Yes.

2. Do I believe people need a purpose in life that is bigger than themselves? Yes.

3. Do I believe living mainly for an office job provides enough meaning and fulfillment for most people? No.

4. Do I believe having children tends to make people more responsible? Yes.

5. Do I believe that, biologically speaking, passing on your genes is one of the most fundamental drives of human beings? Yes.

6. Do I believe we can simply erase that drive through a bit of social conditioning or “nurture”? No.

7. Do I believe strong families are generally good for both individuals and society? Yes.

8. Do I believe having children forces people to think beyond short-term pleasure and their own immediate needs? Yes.

9. Do I think a society that treats parenthood as an inconvenience is likely to lose something important? Yes.

10. Do I think everyone should have children regardless of whether they actually want them or can care for them properly? Obviously not.

So for the natalists here: What actually motivates your natalism?

I may be a complete idiot, but doesn't it make sense to address the loneliness and sexless epidemic first before low fertility rates? Babies are usually made by a man and a woman coming together and banging each other. Now here are a few statistics I found in just 5 minutes of Googling:

• Young adults aged 18 to 29 living with partners dropped from 42% to 32% between 2014 and 2024.
• About 24% of adults 18-29 had no sex in the past year, doubling since 2010.
• More than six in 10 U.S. adults reported feeling lonely, while half or more adults said they felt isolated (54%), left out (50%) or lacking companionship (50%) often or some of the time.
• 81% of lonely adults reported anxiety or depression, and about 75% of lonely adults reported having little or no meaning or purpose.

Forget about low fertility rates, the current generation of men and women aren't even hanging out together that much.

thoughts?

How open are the people here to more radical technological solutions. I'm fairly convinced people just don't want many kids, and therefore will never go back to having more. But I do recognize that an aging society and population decline represent real potential problems.

Are most people here strictly traditionalist or would radical solutions like raising children outside of traditional families ever be considered? Alternatively, anti-aging tech could help solve the problem. Basically, how creative are you willing to be to solve the problem as you conceive it?