Religious disaffiliation is intertwined with economics and education, not merely a demographic cause.

Evidence

William Kilpatrick writes that “The decline of Christianity in Europe led to a loss of cultural confidence and a loss of will. This loss of faith also translated into a declining birth rate.” (2016, 131). As stated above, Pew Research Center (2107) confirms that religiously unaffiliated women are projected to have lower fertility rates than religiously affiliated women. However, religiosity is only one factor impacting fertility rates, and is intertwined with educational opportunities, economic development, and age of marriage amongst other factors. — Margaret Hodson, Baby Jihad, 53

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to demography-of-religion literature and secularization theory debates; the author’s caution about confounding fertility factors echoes standard social-science critique. — connects to: Religiosity is only one factor impacting fertility rates, and is intertwined with educational opportunities, economic development, and age of marriage amongst other factors.