Frequently asked questions

As nations develop (once citizens earn an average of over $5,000 a year), birth rates fall below replacement rate — the developed-world average TFR is currently about 1.56, and over half of all countries are now below replacement. The concern is not this century’s total headcount; it is age structure. When a country has more residents who are net tax drains than net tax contributors — what we call a dependency ratio cascade — it can no longer sustain the social services that support society’s most vulnerable members, and millions suffer.

The regions countries like the US use to supplement collapsing birth rates are themselves undergoing fertility collapse — South America, Central America, and the Caribbean collectively fell below repopulation rate in 2019. Immigration redistributes people; it does not change the worldwide age structure that drives dependency ratio cascades.

No. We are vehemently against any efforts that limit reproductive freedom or curtail cultural autonomy — which means we also support the choice to not have children and want to protect people’s right to be single and/or childless. Government mandates demonstrably do not work (see China’s three-child policy). Our policy focus is taking pressure off families who already want children.

The opposite. Pronatalism is an inclusive, big-tent movement glittering with cultural and religious variety — from hard-line Catholics and Orthodox Jews to reprotech-embracing, tech-forward accelerationists — with members from a broad variety of religions, ideologies, economic backgrounds, political affiliations, and regions. Our goal is to save as many unique cultures as possible from the coming cultural mass extinction: a less diverse future is a poorer one. We work with families of all cultures and sexualities, and work closely with our LGBT allies on their unique needs.

It has been tried. Hungary spends 5–6% of its GDP attempting to increase birth rates — roughly the share the US spends on defense — with lackluster results. Direct subsidies show mixed results at best and tax credits do not work, while big spending accelerates the very dependency ratio cascades we need to avoid. Culture is the largest factor influencing fertility, so lightweight interventions that grant freedom to high-fertility groups (school choice) and remove artificial burdens (the middle-class marriage tax penalty, excessive daycare regulation) should take the spotlight.

Whether you are gladly child-free or an avid pronatalist, you likely care about functioning infrastructure, working police forces, and the continuation of essential social services providing security, food, medical care, and housing to the most vulnerable people in society. If demographic collapse and the dependency ratio cascades it triggers are not addressed, hundreds of millions of people will suffer — that outcome does not check whether you personally had children.

Four things: we raise awareness (media engagement, books, the Based Camp podcast), promote sustainable policy (low-cost, non-coercive interventions shared with policymakers), promote sustainable culture (protecting cultural autonomy and cultures that produce human flourishing), and connect families (expert-written guides like our USA tax guide and state-by-state resource grades, the Index family network, events, and an active Discord).

Email us — we read every email; there is no team or automated system. Journalists, policymakers, and people who strongly disagree with us are welcome. You can also find us on X (@SimoneHCollins), the Based Camp podcast on YouTube, and our community Discord.