I'm always kicking myself for not having settled down and had children sooner. My son has been an absolute blessing to my wife and me, and my only regret is that I waited until I was a bit on in age before I had one. There's a reason nature drives you to have children when you're younger. Keeping up with them requires a lot of energy, and energy is wasted on the youth.
But that's not the outlook of a great deal of the left, which seems to think that children are something that should wait until all other life goals have been accomplished, or something that shouldn't be bothered with at all.
As you can see from data extrapolated from the US General Social Survey and World Values Survey, and compiled by John Burn-Murdoch of the Financial Times, leftist birth rates are declining significantly, and have been since the mid-80s. While conservatives have also seen a decline in their birth rates, it's not nearly as significant, and matches the overall decline in birth rates around the developed world.
K, done! Now live on the page.
— John Burn-Murdoch (@jburnmurdoch) August 29, 2025
I do love a “you said, so we did” ☺️ pic.twitter.com/TCFCJ9zsQG
Why this is happening isn't necessarily a mystery, but it is worth addressing.
A lot of people will point to abortion being one of the primary causes, and while it does contribute to childlessness, there are many other factors, including lifestyle choices.
For starters, leftism is pretty selfish in nature. It emphasises a life lived for personal means and thus, fewer children are had, if any, to maintain the independence of the person. This singular focus contributes to many other factors that make the left childless by choice.
For instance, a stronger focus on education and career is highly common among the left. They tend to pursue advanced degrees and white color jobs, and this especially applies to women on the left. They spend a lot of their fertile years focusing on anything but child-rearing, often sacrificing marriage or relationships in the process.
Moreover, views about sex between conservatives and leftists cause them to take different paths toward parenthood. Conservatives view sex as something that's typically for trusted relationships between lovers or married couples. It's something looked at with a bit more importance and reverence. Tie that with the pro-life, pro-child, pro-marriage stance from many conservative women, and you'll find contraception use far lower among conservatives, resulting in more pregnancies.
Leftists, however, see all sex as good, no matter what it involves. No attachment necessary. As such, contraceptive use is very high among leftists, leading to fewer pregnancies.
Other factors, such as the right's proclivity toward being more religious than the left, contribute to pro-family values. Conservatives tend to live outside of urban areas where the cost of living and childcare is lower, leading to more readiness for children.
This data correlates with a study reported on by Psypost back in 2024, which found conservatism and higher fertility rates went hand in hand:
The researchers found a consistent relationship between political conservatism and higher fertility. In most European countries included in the SHARE data, individuals with more conservative attitudes had more children and grandchildren than their liberal counterparts. For example, participants who identified as right-leaning on the political spectrum consistently reported larger family sizes. This pattern was particularly evident among individuals with the most conservative views, suggesting a strong link between traditional values and reproductive behavior.
Additionally, the researchers observed a generational shift in the proportion of conservative individuals. In most countries, the percentage of individuals identifying as conservative increased from grandparents (the first generation) to grandchildren (the third generation). This trend indicates that demographic factors, such as higher fertility among conservatives, may contribute to a gradual increase in the prevalence of conservative attitudes over time.
As you can see, lifestyle choices weigh heavily on children being involved in someone's life, and leftism does not promote having children in so many ways that it's not surprising to see the decline look so steep.
That said, with leftists not procreating, it means that to keep this level of leftism going, they're going to have to recruit.
I imagine that we're going to see a massive uptick in attempts to infiltrate schools, churches, and other child-focused areas to pass off the leftist "bug" to other people's young, turning them into Democrats, since Democrats are not having children of their own.
Now, while this is aggravating on many different levels, it's an uphill battle for the left to fight, especially in this day and age. The big platforms are no longer solely controlled by the left, and conservatism is becoming more and more mainstream thanks to the cultural shift that occurred in 2024.
Does this mean leftism is going to go the way of the dodo?
I don't think we're that lucky, but I do think this brand of leftism might find itself in a pretty stark minority if the trends continue.
