In decades of teaching sociology in colleges, I have explained to students that the most important factors shaping societies are the least “sexy” or “glitzy.” One of these is demographics. It may be boring, but boy, it is powerful.
A king among these demographic vital statistics is plain vanilla fertility, especially in the context of death rates and life expectancy. Who is having more babies, and who is not? How many of them reach adulthood? Then, how long will they live?
Shannon Osaka, The Washington Post
Madison Colombo, Fox News
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© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
© 2026 Institute for Family Studies
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