Demography is Destiny: Families and future Prosperity
A presentation to the Budapest Demographic Summit III, Budapest, Hungary, September 5, 2019
In the introduction to my book, Maybe ‘I do’ – Modern marriage and the pursuit of happiness, I wrote:
The greatest threat facing the western world is . . . the steady but continuing breakdown of civil society – marriage, family and community.
The events of the past decade reinforce my earlier observation.
Before I explain, let me state an important qualification: while there is much in common in the economic, social and cultural life of our two countries, there are also differences. I do not pretend that our experiences in Australia are universally applicable. Rather, I offer a global overview, by which you may be able to make a comparison, even if not precisely applicable.
Before suggesting solutions, it is important to understand what is happening. There are significant demographic trends shaping families, communities and nations today. These trends have been underway for four to five decades.
In the following presentation I will describe three family facts and three population myths before addressing three population challenges facing nations such as Hungary and Australia. While the trends are more acute in Europe, population changes are a global phenomenon. (Full speech in attached file)
