Expert comment on declining birth rates in England and Wales
The latest ONS release on Births in England and Wales: 2023 revealed that birth rates have reached their lowest point since the 1970s, with the fertility rate dropping to a record low of 1.44 children per woman in England and Wales. Scotland's is even lower at 1.3. This decline in Great Britain aligns with a global trend as many countries face similar challenges, from rising living costs to shifting personal priorities among young adults.
Our researchers have appeared across media outlets discussing the latest data and possible explanations for the decline:
Melinda Mills was interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s PM, Times Radio and Sky News, as well as being quoted across over 20 other news outlets including BBC News, MailOnline, The Independent, and The Sun. In the interviews, she discussed how policies aimed at encouraging higher birth rates, like loans or tax incentives, are costly and have little evidence of effectively increasing overall fertility rates. She also discussed how we need to consider not just women's roles in fertility rates, but also how the behaviour of men contributes to the trend.
"There has to be institutions and structures in place to allow people to have children," says Professor Melinda Mills from Oxford University as data shows the fertility rate in England and Wales has dropped to a record low.https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3
— Sky News (@SkyNews) October 28, 2024
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/Y1sRIKC5Ka
Ann Berrington was quoted in the Financial Times article 'Birth rate drops to record low in England and Wales' discussing possible solutions such as expanding the workforce, tackling economic inactivity and the mental health crisis.
Bernice Kuang contributed to the BBC InDepth article 'The real reason for the rise in male childlessness', speaking about how the most disadvantaged people are the least likely to start a family because they can't afford it. Bernice was also interviewed for the BBC World Service programme The Global Story on 'Social infertility: What's behind falling birth rates'.
Brienna Perelli-Harris was interviewed for the BBC News article '''I can't afford a child on £53,000 salary' - why fertility rate is falling' where she discussed data from the recent UK Generations and Gender Survey, which suggests that childless adults today are far less confident they will have children, with a quarter of 18 to 25-year-olds saying they would probably or definitely not have a child.
Access links to all of our expert comment from our Media engagement page or follow our Scoop.it! page.
Read the full ONS release 'Births in England and Wales: 2023'.
Posted 04/11/2024 09:10
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