While the Trump administration and several conservative voices push for policies to boost the U.S. birth rate, a new poll reveals most Americans are far more concerned about the cost of raising children than the number being born.
The national survey, conducted by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, found that just 12% of Americans believe encouraging larger families should be a “high priority” for the federal government. Instead, there is strong support for efforts to make childcare more affordable and to improve health outcomes for mothers.
Pronatalism, the belief that higher birth rates benefit society, has gained some traction in conservative and tech circles. High-profile supporters like Elon Musk and Vice President JD Vance have publicly warned of population decline. But the American public remains unconvinced.
According to the poll:
Only 3 in 10 adults consider falling birth rates to be a “major problem”.
75% view the high cost of childcare as a “major issue”.
A majority support policies like paid family leave and subsidised early years care.
Even among Republicans, typically more aligned with pro-natal ideas, support for government incentives to have more children is limited. Most favour easing the financial burden of raising children rather than pushing for bigger families.
Practical needs over ideology
Misty Conklin, a Trump supporter from Indiana, said the focus should be on affordability, not fertility. “It’s hard to live as just a couple, let alone with children. It’s getting worse and worse,” said the 50-year-old grandmother raising a disabled granddaughter.
Maria Appelbe, a mother in Arizona who also voted for Trump, echoed the sentiment. She left her job to care for her child due to high child care costs. “If I had more children, I wouldn’t have been able to give them what I gave my daughter,” she said.
Despite demographic projections suggesting that a fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman is needed to maintain the population long-term, most Americans hold no strong views on whether families should have more or fewer children.
Meanwhile, 55% of U.S. adults, especially women and Black respondents, say the government should prioritise improving maternal health outcomes. The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the developed world, with Black women disproportionately affected.
Pronatalism gaining traction, but not mainstream
Though few Americans fully embrace pro-natal policies, the idea is beginning to resonate more with some conservative voters. For instance, Dmitriy Samusenko, 28, a politically independent conservative from California, sees falling birth rates as an existential threat to the country. “Whether America will continue to exist in the long run depends on this,” he said.
He supports policies that would enable families to grow, including government assistance.
One proposal gaining some attention is a “baby bonus” of $5,000 per child, floated by pro-natal advocates and tentatively endorsed by Donald Trump. But it remains divisive:
About 33% of Americans support it.
40% oppose it.
The remainder are undecided.
Even among conservative Republicans, only around a quarter support the idea.
Fertility treatments and IVF
Trump has also backed expanded access to in vitro fertilisation (IVF), calling himself the “fertilisation president”. IVF is broadly popular, though it remains controversial among some religious conservatives, including sections of the Catholic and evangelical communities.
40% of adults consider the cost of fertility treatments a serious problem, and nearly half support mandating insurance coverage for such treatments.
Bill Taylor, 72, from Washington state, saw his daughter struggle with expensive fertility care. He believes government support is essential. While he sees population decline as a concern, he worries that growing families without social safeguards may leave vulnerable groups unsupported. “Conservatives want bigger families,” he said, “but not the government programmes to support them.”
Adapted from AP-NORC findings.
