Capitalism requiring a growing population has nothing to do with third world population growth. Man, the bar is really low here.
the population change is not statistically relevant using Least Squares Analysis; it is within normal variation. So while it happened, it is noise.
Taxes and intra-USA migration play only a part of the decline. Basically it's simple math. In order for any population to not decline each woman has to produce at least 2.1 babies (the extra 0.1 is to cancel out childhood deaths). The average American woman has only 1.8 Here are two interesting associated tidbits: a) The average in Mexico is 2.2 babies per woman. 50 years ago it was 5 babies per woman. Maybe that explains why more undocumented Mexicans are leaving the USA than are trying to enter it. Less competition for jobs back in Mexico. b) In every developed country in world the fertility rate is below 2.0 https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.TFRT.IN?locations=US
Yes, it is a puzzle to me why aren't people running away from California, everything is falling apart, high taxes, high cost of living, traffic, crime, fire, flood, drought, earth quake... Maybe it is the Rose Bowl effect. Every Jan 1st, the rest of the country watch the Rose Parade and have their California Dreamin.
From the article: "Ethan Sharygin, a demographer with the state, said researchers had expected to find a decline in the birthrate but were surprised to see such a large change." call me crazy, but I think the sudden, unexpected and almost global acceleration of the birth rate decline is the unintended side effect of the metoo movement. On the margin, guys are more cautious approaching women. If an approach by a guy she doesn't like can later be considered sexual harassment, she will no longer be approached by guys she likes either. And women haven't learned yet to compensate for this and be the active part. https://www.investmentnews.com/arti...ra-men-go-to-extremes-and-women-pay-the-price
LOL birth rates have been in decline in the developed world for a gooooood while now. Way before metoo was on the scene.