Call it a vibe. I only see a steady decline in living standards in our future and it makes me pause when I think about whether to subject another human being (i.e. my kids) to that.

We are living in the most safe, prosperous, easy, carefree time in the history of human species. Can we fuck it up? yes we probably can, it won't be easy and would need to involve nukes probably.

Realize that doom and fear porn that you are reading addresses certain type of need we have. If you overdo it well you get depression. Then again some people I know use this crap to give themselves excuse to behave like teenagers in their 30s, stuck in childhood(because they can).

There is no stigma these days for not starting a family kids and men can privately retreat into video games and pornography. When confronted about their selfish* lifestyle the above comment is convenient cover but it is not backed by solid data. I'd take birth in this past decade over birth in my decade any day.

*I'd argue that not having at least one child and possibly adopting others is selfish assuming one has financial means. For example, while I thought I wanted kids, upon reflection what I really wanted are mini-me's. If I could buy a clone I'd do it immediately, but child roulette?, no thanks. My selfish lifestyle had made me very happy so far and that feels like a character flaw.

May I ask how old you are?

From where I am, a "selfish" lifestyle of video games and porn replacing responsibility does not seem to be healthy long-term.

I'm in my late 20s now, and the guys I know who are not working towards getting married and starting a family are pretty much all starting to experience some sort of constant existential anxiety.

I'd rather not say my age because I rather not influence any young men to follow my path. The general data is there, a life without a family is not healthy long term. Follow my path at your peril since a lot of other things have to go right to make up for the void usually filled by family. For the record I don't play video games or view much porn and if that is how I were filling the void I would have severe existential anxiety. I volunteer/mentor, play sports, run a business, and am successful professionally.

Perhaps the existential anxiety was already there and has kept them from working towards a family? Look at a history of births and you see a major drop-off in WW2, a period where it really felt like the world could end, literally people anxious over their continued existence. Take away the War, and you get a baby boom.

Part of me thinks its the "working towards" part, independent of the family/marriage bit. I can't prove it though.

I think if you drop off the rails of a traditional lifestyle, you need to be ready to stand on your own two feet a little more when it comes to intrinsic motivation.

Birth control is not the only factor that has affected birth rates, even if it's the biggest. There are many factors. Any connection to COVID or climate change may not supported by any data you've seen, but does that entitle you to categorically rule it out as a factor? Where's this data that shows no relationship? I've seen a number of indications young people are increasingly hopeless about the future. It stands to reason that this could effect birth rates so I feel there's at least a small burden on you to show why the idea is wrong.

I mean it is possible somewhere in the rounding error or the rounding error of the effect contraceptives had there is climate change and covid effect. Massaging that out of the data will will be tricky to say the least, but given enough grant money I am sure people will rise to the occasion.

Yes, having plunged dramatically in the 60s with the widespread adoption of the pill, birth rate in the US has been falling in a fairly steady rate since about 1970

https://www.macrotrends.net/countries/USA/united-states/birt...