Dreher also argues that the current baby bust is the result of the decline of Christianity in America. Does the evidence support his claim?
No, for two reasons. First, the baby bust is a worldwide phenomenon; it has no particular ties to Christian nations. Second, it is inconsistent with American history. You would have trouble arguing that America was a more Christian nation in the 1950s than in the 1930s, but the latter produced the relatively small Silent Generation, while the former resulted in a baby boom. Why the difference? The obvious answer is the contrast between the Great Depression and the economic expansion after World War II.
The fact is that declining birth rates are primarily due to the greater personal autonomy and economic power of women in today’s world. The costs of having a baby–soaring childcare expenses, the inability to find appropriate housing, the obstacles created in getting ahead at work, and the disproportionate burden placed on women to do household chores–are not fully mitigated by the financial incentives provided by any pro-natalist government, including those of Hungary and China.
To put it another way, the advocates of having more children than you can afford didn’t do that themselves, because they have plenty of money, and asking young families to live on the edge of economic disaster for the good of the team is both unreasonable and unrealistic.