Spend an hour walking through the main streets of Windsor or Richmond on a weekday and one thing quickly becomes apparent.
There are plenty of retirees enjoying a coffee, people meeting friends for lunch and residents going about their daily errands. Many older residents rely on mobility scooters, walking frames or other mobility aids as they move around town.
What you see far less often are young families pushing prams or parents out shopping with toddlers.
It is, of course, only an observation, not a scientific survey. But it reflects a question increasingly being asked across communities like the Hawkesbury: are fewer young people choosing to have children, and if so, why?
A new study by the Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) suggests the answer extends well beyond the rising cost of housing or groceries. Researchers found that while around 70 per cent of Australians aged 19 to 24 still hope to have children, young people's confidence in Australia's future and particularly their trust in public institutions plays a major role in whether they see starting a family as part of that future.
The study found that 79 per cent of young adults with high levels of trust in institutions such as hospitals, schools, police, welfare services and the legal system hoped to have children, compared with 59 per cent of those with lower levels of trust. Researchers also found that concerns about climate change significantly influenced whether young Australians wanted children, while housing affordability, although a major concern, was less closely linked to their family aspirations.
For communities like the Hawkesbury, where the population is ageing and many young adults face difficult choices about housing, employment and the cost of raising a family, the findings raise important questions.
Are local young people delaying parenthood because they cannot afford it? Are they leaving the district in search of employment and housing elsewhere? Or are broader concerns about the future influencing one of life's biggest decisions?
