Demographic momentum is such that you can't simply change something overnight. Whatever goal you might set, you have to start doing something about it about a generation ahead of time. |
Our birth rates nationally peak in late summer and early fall. People spend a lot more time indoors in winter, especially in the north, because it's cold outside. The statistics don't lie. |
The reality is that both trends are occurring. The dramatic fertility decline during the 20th century coincided with improved health, access to family planning, economic development, and urbanization. |
The recent collapse of fertility in Russia has been almost completely economic. When people are uncertain about the future, they don't have children. |