Why Birth Rates Are Declining Globally: An Analysis of the Great Depopulation
By
Derek Thompson
Fresh out the oven, still warm. Top of the tray.
Summary
The article explores the global decline in birth rates, examining various theories including the impact of technology (smartphones, social media), a pervasive 21st-century weltschmerz (sadness about the world's state), and a New York Times essay arguing that anxiety about the future is the primary reason people are choosing not to have children. The piece investigates why this demographic shift is happening simultaneously across virtually all countries.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledWhy has the number of births declined everywhere, all at once?
Some blame technology, particularly smartphones and social media.
Others blame a kind of 21st-century weltschmerz—a sadness about the state of the world and our uncertain future in it.
A long essay in The New York Times by Anna Louie Sussman... argues that today's generation is too anxious about the future to make the irreversible commitment of having a child.
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