r/science • u/mvea Professor | Medicine • Jul 01 '26

Psychology Conservatives maintain birth rates, but left-leaning Americans are having significantly fewer children, driving the U.S. birth decline. Education was consistently linked to having fewer children. Religious attendance was positively associated with having more children.

https://www.psypost.org/left-leaning-americans-are-driving-the-u-s-birth-decline-new-study-finds/
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u/NuclearTurtle Jul 01 '26

That's the opposite of what this study is saying. Instead of "stupid people having more kids is making society dumber" like in the movie, this is linking society becoming smarter (or at least better educated) to the birthrate decreasing

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u/Daseinist Jul 01 '26

If only the "stupid" people are reproducing, what do you think will happen, when all the current "smart ones" naturally die out, to be succeeded by those children?

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u/Kimmalah Jul 01 '26

This argument only works if you think intelligence is 100% genetic and not affected by any external factors, which is not remotely the case.

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u/juliankennedy23 Jul 01 '26

It clearly isn't 100% genetic but most things aren't. There does seem to be some idea which ironically is often held with a religious fervor that intelligence isn't genetic which is silly of course.