Caution: Crowded living is affecting our fertility rates

A high population density makes people focus more on the competition they face than on making babies.

- Amy Lim

Singapore is experiencing a record-high population count of 6.04 million. Singapore is also at its record low fertility rate of 1.25 per woman. Is this a coincidence? Recent research findings say no.

Discussions about the population growth in Singapore have largely focused on the influx of foreigners and the resulting implications for social living. However, what is more insidious and closer to home is the effect of a growing population - particularly population density - on fertility rates. Research in evolutionary social psychology has hinted at the effect population density can have on fertility decisions. Global trends show that as the population density rises, fertility rates decline. People living in crowded cities not only have fewer children compared with those in less populated areas, but even within the same city also, fertility rates drop as the population density rises. Such dynamics are especially pronounced in megacities such as Seoul and Hong Kong, where living spaces are small and buildings are packed tightly together.

This trend is not just reflected by global data but also in methodologically rigorous and controlled research environments. In recent studies funded by the Academic Research Fund (AcRF) Tier 1 grant from Singapore's Ministry of Education, Dr Norman Li from the Singapore Management University and his team of international researchers have been investigating the reasons behind a society's growing reluctance to start families and raise children.

Our recent study, involving 540 undergraduate students in Singapore, found that when they were made to think that they were surrounded by more people, they preferred to prioritise acquiring knowledge and skills over starting a family. They also reported less favourable attitudes towards having children.