SHOW / EPISODE

Is the West Dying Out? The Demographic Crisis Explained

55m | Sep 9, 2026

Are white people really dying out? Is the West facing demographic collapse? And why are birth rates falling throughout the developed world?


In this episode of Conversations That Matter, Jon Harris is joined by statistician William M. Briggs to examine the numbers behind population decline, fertility rates, demographic change, and the future of Western civilization.


William Briggs discusses his experience in academia, supporting Donald Trump in 2016, and eventually being canceled by Cornell. The conversation then turns to one of the most important questions facing the modern world: Why are people having fewer children?


The discussion covers feminism and equality, housing and economic pressures, immigration, aging populations, technology, religion, pornography, online life, Israel's comparatively high fertility rate, Christianity, and the ways bad science can distort public understanding of environmental and medical threats.


Are falling birth rates primarily the result of environmental factors, or are people simply making different decisions about marriage and children? And will humanity eventually return to higher fertility rates?


Join the conversation.


Follow William M. Briggs and read his work at WMBriggs.com.


Support Conversations That Matter and stay connected with Jon Harris at JonHarrisMedia.com.


00:00 Introduction and Meet William M. Briggs

01:10 Supporting Trump and Being Canceled by Cornell

05:30 Can Conservatives Still Survive Academia?

09:00 Are White People and Europeans Dying Out?

11:30 Why Are Birth Rates Falling?

14:00 The ICU Theory: Population, Housing, and Economics

17:30 Understanding Fertility Rates and Demographic Data

24:30 Feminism, Sexual Behavior, and Population Decline

29:00 Will Fertility Rates Eventually Recover?

33:00 Technology, Online Life, and the Future of Human Relationships

36:00 Israel, Religion, and Higher Birth Rates

41:00 Environmental Causes and Bad Science

49:00 Christianity, Reality, and the Future of Civilization

52:00 Government Policy, Safety Culture, and Having Children

55:00 Final Thoughts



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