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Swedish researchers dismiss baby bonus proposal amid soaring child-rearing costs
🇫🇮 Finland /Health & Science

Swedish researchers dismiss baby bonus proposal amid soaring child-rearing costs

From Helsingin Sanomat · () Finnish

Translated from Finnish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Raising a child in Sweden now costs over 200,000 euros, nearly double the price from 10 years ago.
  • Swedish demographer Gunnar Andersson dismisses financial incentives like baby bonuses as ineffective for boosting birth rates.
  • He argues that the primary reason for declining birth rates is a negative outlook on the future, not a lack of financial support.

The cost of raising a child in Sweden from birth to adulthood has nearly doubled in the past decade, now exceeding 200,000 euros. A recent estimate from Swedish bank SEB places the cost for a first child at 2.2 million Swedish kronor, compared to 1.28 million kronor in 2016.

Despite these rising costs, experts are skeptical about financial incentives as a solution to declining birth rates. Gunnar Andersson, a demographer at Stockholm University, argues that focusing on money misses the core issue. He believes the main driver behind fewer births is a pessimistic view of the future.

The price tag for a child has almost doubled in ten years.

— SEB reportThe article cites a SEB report on the rising costs of raising a child in Sweden.

Väestöliitto's proposal for a baby bonus in Finland, similar to incentives in other countries, has not gained traction among Swedish researchers. Andersson suggests that the search for solutions is misdirected, emphasizing that economic measures alone cannot solve the complex demographic challenges.

The biggest reason is the perception of the future.

— Gunnar AnderssonAndersson explains his view on the primary cause of declining birth rates.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Helsingin Sanomat in Finnish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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