Is the Global Population Decline Linked to Happiness Decline?
May 13, 2025
It is clearly documented that global population is tanking in most parts of the world. Could this decline be related to declining happiness, worldwide? There is interesting data indicating this could be the case.
In a recent article over at Public Discourse, professor Margarita Mooney Clayton, who teaches practical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary, asks “What are the social implications of a world with fewer children?” It is important to note that we are having fewer children, largely below replacement level, not because of any outside force discouraging us. We are doing so by choice. We are choosing not to marry in greater numbers and increasingly putting education and career before producing the next generation of humanity. This comes with certain substantial costs, namely a threatened human future and declining overall happiness.
