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67 December 2025 J O U R N A L themortgagepoint.com December 2025 » What U.S. economic expert Demetri Kofinas calls "financial nihilism" has played a significant role in homebuyer sentiment in younger adults. As home affordability shrinks, individuals who come to believe they won't reach the likelihood of attaining homeownership turn to a mixture of high-risk behaviors. Gen Z is sometimes regarded as "lacking resilience in the workplace"; many young professionals have flocked to social media to decry the pointlessness of the typical 9-5 trend. The data implies these evolving ideas and behaviors are anchored in economic reality as it progresses. "It's not that previous generations were more engaged in their work be- cause jobs back then were thrilling, it's that applying oneself at work used to be a means to an end," Burn-Murdoch said. "With the reward of owning your own home yanked out of reach, the whole thing feels futile." The outcomes of these examinations have substantial consequences: • They emphasize how urgent it is to address the issue of homeownership affordability. As many consumers can now see, the effects are upsetting society and the economy as a whole, putting many young individuals on a precarious financial path where mistakes could be irreversible. • They underline the significance of teaching young people the financial literacy they need to navigate a new environment where, for many, the only hope of success is to take enor- mous monetary risks. Compared to their parents, today's 20-somethings are far more likely to become life- long tenants. This implies that they will want more advice than previous generations on alternative ways to build wealth, as well as the knowl- edge and assistance to understand that the game is not yet finished. "It's all very well bemoaning the growing economic nihilism of younger generations—and the evidence bears it out—but they're just playing the cards they have been dealt," Burn-Murdoch concluded. NEW RESEARCH LINKS U.S. FERTILITY DECLINE TO HIGH HOUSING COSTS A ccording to a recent study, one of the primary causes of the declining birth rate in the United States between the 2000s and the 2010s was the rising cost of housing. Birth rates are complicated and multifaceted, and economists and de- mographers have identified a number of causes for their general decline, including significant cultural changes and financial hardships. Many of these causes and discussions around them were already thoroughly examined by Newsweek. However, a recent study by Benja- min K. Couillard, a doctoral candidate in economics at the University of Toronto, indicated that 51% of the fall in the fertility rate between the 2000s and 2010s was caused by growing housing expenses since 1990. Similarly, Theodore Cosco, a re- search fellow at The Oxford Institute of Population Ageing, told Newsweek that "addressing declining birth rates would require comprehensive support mecha- nisms, such as affordable childcare, paid parental leave, health care access, and economic stability." How U.S. Housing Is Shaping Fertility, Birth Rates & More A number of nations, including the United States, have historically low birth rates. This concerns many since it may result in an aging society, where there are more elderly people than work- ing-age individuals to support them. According to the Congressional Budget Office's most recent prediction, the nation's fertility rate—the average number of children a woman has in her lifetime—is now expected to average 1.6 births per woman over the next 30 years. That is less than the 2.1 births per wom- an replacement rate needed to keep the population steady in the absence of immigration. According to Couillard's rent-fo- cused investigation, he discovered that "rising costs since 1990 are responsible for 11% fewer children, 51% of the total A number of nations, including the U.S., have historically low birth rates. This concerns many since it may result in an aging society, where there are more elderly people than working-age individuals to support them.