In order to save the declining birth rate in the United States, the Trump administration is considering various measures to encourage childbirth, but the latest joint poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that the vast majority of respondents believe that the problem is not the birth rate, but the cost of raising children; instead of rewarding children, they hope that the government will focus on the high cost of childcare and how to improve the health of pregnant women.
Pronatalism, which advocates that more children should be born, has become popular in the technology circle and among religious conservatives. Famous people including technology tycoon Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance support the idea of having many children and grandchildren, and advocate that having more children is beneficial to society.
However, the latest poll by the Associated Press and the NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that only three out of ten Americans believe that the declining birth rate is a “major problem” facing the United States; only 12% of respondents believe that the federal government should make encouraging families to have more children a priority.
Most Republican respondents also believe that affordable childcare and maternal health care should be prioritized over incentives for childbearing. The Associated Press reported that the survey results show that even though conservatives are actively promoting pro-natalism, the Republican base has not accepted it all.
Misty Conklin, a 50-year-old voter living in Indiana who voted for President Trump, said that in today’s time and space environment, the decline in birth rates is not a very urgent problem, and the government should focus on reducing the cost of raising children, such as providing more social service support for the needs of her disabled granddaughter. She said: “It is becoming increasingly difficult for ordinary people to live, let alone raise children.”
About three-quarters of the adults surveyed said that childcare costs are a “major problem.” Among Democratic women, eight out of ten believe that childcare costs are a major problem, and seven out of ten Republican men also believe that childcare costs are a major problem.
Policies such as free or low-cost daycare for preschoolers and paid family leave were welcomed by about two-thirds of the respondents, while about 55% of the respondents wanted the government to focus on improving women’s health.
