An interesting article from Scientific America passed through my inbox this morning. The topic was “fertility rates” in the United States during the pandemic years. There was one strain of thought that, couples having more “together time,” would lead to an increase in the monthly number of babies being born. An effect not unlike the imagined effect of major extended electrical power outages. By the way, it was imagined, there has not been a power outage + 9 months baby boom. But the “safer-at-home” period was a lot longer than an overnight power outage.So what was the effect of the “safer-at-home” period? Has there been a increase in fertility rates in the United States? The answer is: “Whereas many states, such as New York and Connecticut, saw fertility rates decline during their first COVID waves in 2020, others, such as Utah and Idaho, saw them increase. In this study, fertility rate changes were not correlated with the severity of the COVID wave in a particular state. Instead, they were linked to the state’s political leaning: red states saw more fertility increases, whereas blue states saw more decreases. Fertility rates were also negatively correlated with the degree of social distancing, which was measured by cell phone GPS data analyzed by researchers at the University of Maryland.” (Tanya Lewis, Scientific America; “The Pandemic Caused a Baby Boom in Red States and a Bust in Blue States”; May 26, 2023)

While it is somewhat interesting, when I read the article, I have to admit my first thought was “how long until this becomes either fodder for YouTube comedians and commentators or part of some earnest politician’s campaign.” Time will tell.

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