Don’t Just Watch The Fertility Story Unfold... Stay Ahead of The Research
Understand what's going on by getting the latest research, analysis, and practical insights from the IFS Pronatalism Initiative.
The fertility crisis isn't about people wanting smaller families. It's about a system failing Americans who want children. We are the only research organization in America saying what many know is true: America needs, and Americans want, more babies.
The data is clear. We know why it's happening. The IFS Pronatalism Initiative is building the roadmap to close the gap.
People Want Kids, The System is Failing Them.
On average, Americans want more than two kids. But the actual birth rate is well below that and, worse, it's falling. The story is not that people want smaller families but that cultural, economic, and political systems are failing a majority of people who want a family. America’s declining fertility rate is one of the defining demographic challenges of our generation.
The consequences of all this are not abstract. When birth rates fall this far below what people want, you get not only an aging and shrinking society but with it political instability, economic fragility and a crisis of meaning: If not family, then what else is there?
The Pronatalism Initiative at IFS fearlessly follows the evidence wherever it leads. The good news is that the fertility crisis can be fixed. It just takes having honest conversations about cultural norms, economics, and public policy, and being willing to consider policies a bit outside the ordinary. We are producing independent research on declining U.S. fertility, birth rates, family policy, and the economic and cultural barriers preventing Americans from having the families they want.
“Falling fertility is not a product of falling family desires, but of a yawning abyss of dreams-not-realized.”
Why This Work Matters
For more than a decade, the Institute for Family Studies has produced research on what is best for the family.
The Pronatalism Initiative looks rigorously at demography, economics, sociology, and family policy to solve one of the most important problems of our time:
Why are people having fewer children than they want? What can be done about it? What happens if we don't solve this?
The IFS pronatal position is simple: every person who wants kids should have them. Decades of research clearly shows that when policy and communities become more family-friendly, birth rates rise.
The IFS pronatalism Initiative operates on three first pillars:
A Fact-First Framework
Some think tanks know the answer to a question before they even see the evidence. That's not us. We always begin with a sober, clinical assessment of the evidence.
Before we even think about what a good outcome for family might be, we put in the work to make sure we know what the actual outcomes for families are, and what the possible outcomes for the future could be. We go where the facts lead, rather than starting with our ideology and making the facts fit.
Pro-family research easily gets dismissed when it looks captured by partisan, ideological, or even ethnic interests. IFS publishes findings that serious people across political and intellectual divides can cite, debate, and ultimately have the confidence to act on. Our independence is what makes credible across the spectrum.
Freedom First
We don't advocate for engineering birthrates. If people sincerely don't want to raise kids, we don't want to make them. But, we do believe that economic, political, and cultural obstacles blocking or slowing families from having the family size they want are real, identifiable, and most often correctable.
Huge shares of Americans genuinely want more kids than they're having. Every recommendation we make begins with the basic idea that our goal is to increase freedom, not reduce it. For that reason, we don't favor policies that bully people into things they don't want or that limit their freedom to make contracts, or limit the ability of businesses to be productive. Free societies are the best societies. Once we've solved the facts, our next step is working upward from the principle of freedom.
A First-Mover Advantage
No other think tank in America will forthrightly name the problem, say in public they’re pronatalist, and tell the truth: there should be more babies.
Around the world, there are only a small handful of organizations like IFS, and they rely on our research and cite our work. We are the center for cutting-edge pronatalist research because we have been banging this drum louder than anybody else, and because we are the only organization of this kind that sends our scholars to the conferences where new knowledge is first being generated.
“People who support policies that yield more babies are pronatalists. People who do not support those policies are not.”
This IFS report focuses on the link between religion and marriage within America’s largest religious tradition, Roman Catholicism, but we also show how churchgoing is linked to marital quality for Protestants.
Read The ReportUnderstand what's going on by getting the latest research, analysis, and practical insights from the IFS Pronatalism Initiative.
What is pronatalism?
Pronatalism is the belief that people who want children should be able to have the families they desire. At the Institute for Family Studies, our approach is rooted in research first, not ideological commitments. We study the cultural, economic, and policy factors that influence family formation and fertility so that more Americans can achieve their desired family size.
Why are birth rates declining in the United States?
Research shows that Americans continue to want around two or more children on average, but many have fewer than they planned. Rising housing costs, financial insecurity, delayed family formation, cultural shifts, and barriers to raising children all contribute to declining U.S. birth rates.
What is the fertility gap?
The fertility gap is the difference between the number of children people say they want and the number they ultimately have. Understanding and closing this gap is a central focus of the IFS Pronatalism Initiative.
Does the IFS Pronatalism Initiative support government mandates to increase birth rates?
No. The IFS Pronatalism Initiative supports policies and cultural changes that expand people’s freedom to have the families they want. We do not advocate coercive policies or government mandates. Our research focuses on identifying barriers to family formation and evaluating evidence-based solutions.
What kinds of policies can help increase fertility?
Research suggests that no single policy can reverse declining fertility rates on its own. A combination of affordable housing, family-friendly workplaces, economic stability, stronger communities, and supportive family policies can help reduce barriers for people who want children.
What research does the IFS Pronatalism Initiative publish?
The Initiative publishes original research, demographic analysis, policy recommendations, commentary, and the annual State of Fertility report. Our work explores fertility trends, family formation, demographic change, and policies that support families.
Who is the Pronatalism Initiative for?
Our research is designed for policymakers, journalists, academics, faith leaders, donors, business leaders, families, and anyone interested in understanding the causes and consequences of declining fertility and what can be done to address it.
Why does declining fertility matter?
Persistently low birth rates affect every part of society, from economic growth and workforce participation to community vitality and the long-term sustainability of social programs. The IFS Pronatalism Initiative examines these challenges through rigorous demographic and family research to inform better public policy and public understanding.
Interested in learning more about the work of the Institute for Family Studies? Please feel free to contact us by using your preferred method detailed below.
P.O. Box 1502
Charlottesville, VA 22902
(434) 260-1048
For media inquiries, contact Chris Bullivant (chris@ifstudies.org).
We encourage members of the media interested in learning more about the people and projects behind the work of the Institute for Family Studies to get started by perusing our "Media Kit" materials.
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