The “cost of living” argument, which is extremely common online, is a cope. It’s education and technology. There is social science backing the claim that educating women reduces birth rates and this is happening across the globe at different rates. The world is increasingly urbanizing. Children are more of a burden in a city than in an agricultural setting where they can help out.

People in poorer countries almost always have more kids than those in wealthier countries and the birth rate for the poor in America is higher than the middle class. If you really want a child, you’ll make it work as people did for thousands of years. It’s okay if people don’t, but they shouldn’t hide behind “cost of living”.

I think you are correct. But Google is getting better at putting succinct answers from sources at the top of results. They are occasionally wrong or not what you were actually looking for though, which is the same problem ChaptGPT has.