Young Poles say better access to the housing market would encourage them to have more children, according to a new survey.
The IBRiS study conducted for the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita asked what would encourage parents to have a greater number of offspring.
The most common response from 30.7% of those surveyed was easier access to housing for young people.
Housing was mentioned by 36% of respondents who do not have children. It can therefore be assumed that some of them did not decide to have kids because of housing issues, Rzeczpospolita reported.
The findings come as Poland’s population shrinks, triggering concerns that there will be insufficient working-age taxpayers to support an increasingly large proportion of older people.
The survey showed stable work for young people (22.2%) and a friendly labor market for women (17%) were other key factors.
Among respondents with at least three children, 79% highlighted more friendly treatment of women in the labor market as an important incentive in deciding to have a child.
In turn, 43% of respondents with one child said that a generally stable labor market was important.
The Family 800+ program, a government benefit providing families with 800 złoty (€184) a month per child, was referenced by just 12.3% as the primary factor.
The program was until this year known as 500+, as recipients previously received 500 złoty (€115) a month. It was originally introduced to tackle Poland’s falling birthrate but proved ineffective in that regard.
The program, which costs the state around €13.78 billion a year, likely contributed to a slight increase in births in the first years after it was introduced in 2016, but the numbers have subsequently fallen.
In 2023, there were just 272,000 children born in Poland. In comparison, 375,000 arrived in 2019, according to government agency Statistics Poland.
The decline means Poland’s population has been falling since 2012, aside from a slight rise of almost 1,000 people in 2017.
The most common response from 30.7% of those surveyed was easier access to housing for young people.
Housing was mentioned by 36% of respondents who do not have children. It can therefore be assumed that some of them did not decide to have kids because of housing issues, Rzeczpospolita reported.
The findings come as Poland’s population shrinks, triggering concerns that there will be insufficient working-age taxpayers to support an increasingly large proportion of older people.
The survey showed stable work for young people (22.2%) and a friendly labor market for women (17%) were other key factors.
Among respondents with at least three children, 79% highlighted more friendly treatment of women in the labor market as an important incentive in deciding to have a child.
In turn, 43% of respondents with one child said that a generally stable labor market was important.
Social benefits
The Family 800+ program, a government benefit providing families with 800 złoty (€184) a month per child, was referenced by just 12.3% as the primary factor.
The program was until this year known as 500+, as recipients previously received 500 złoty (€115) a month. It was originally introduced to tackle Poland’s falling birthrate but proved ineffective in that regard.
The program, which costs the state around €13.78 billion a year, likely contributed to a slight increase in births in the first years after it was introduced in 2016, but the numbers have subsequently fallen.
In 2023, there were just 272,000 children born in Poland. In comparison, 375,000 arrived in 2019, according to government agency Statistics Poland.
The decline means Poland’s population has been falling since 2012, aside from a slight rise of almost 1,000 people in 2017.
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