What's behind America's plummeting birthrate?

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Utah has a reputation for being one of the most baby-friendly places in America, consistently ranking as one of the best states to raise a family and regularly showing up in the top five of states for birthrates.

This comes as the United States is experiencing a low and plummeting birthrate — down to around 1.7 babies per woman. However, even in Utah the birthrate has fallen below the 2.1 babies per woman needed to maintain a stable population in the long run.

But the two most cited reasons for the decline in birthrate — the cost of having children and selfishness — don't quite pan out, according to Timothy P. Carney, the senior columnist at the Washington Examiner and a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Carney argues that if the cost of raising kids was the real obstacle, people with more money would have more kids, but Americans are richer than we used to be and yet we have fewer children.

And you can't simply point to selfishness, either, he says. The cause needs to be some massive shift that's taken place in just the last few decades.

The answer, according to Carney? A precipitous decline in religiosity, and the pro-family teachings and infrastructure that go along with it.

Utahns split on whether Sen. Mitt Romney should run for reelection, as his approval rating drops

You want to gauge a fellow Utahn's politics? Ask them about their opinion of Sen. Mitt Romney.

The senator is a favorite among moderate Republicans and Democrats, with more Utah Democrats approving of his performance than members of his own party in the state.

Romney is viewed much less favorably by Utah's conservative Republicans, ranking him among the most unpopular senators in America.

And according to the latest Deseret News/Hinckley Institute of Politics poll, Romney's approval rating has fallen by 10 points since March.

Nearly a majority (49%) of Utah voters say they disapprove of Romney's performance, according to the poll, with 41% saying they approve and 10% saying they don’t know.

Romney, who is still weighing whether he should run for a second term in the U.S. Senate, struggles among Republican voters, with 51% saying they strongly or somewhat disapprove of his performance.

Earlier this month, Romney said he would announce in the summer or fall whether he will run again, and his decision would be based on what he thinks he can accomplish in the Senate.

Read more about whether Romney is likely to win reelection if he seeks it.

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