Feels like, while there are people (like me) who are childfree by choice, nearly everyone I meet wants kids (RIP my dating life...), and it seems more economics / pessimism that prevents people from having kids.
Perhaps because regardless of some policies targeting the economics/material issues of having kids that some countries have put in place (Russia, Hungary, S. Korea, etc.), those policies don't change the brutal cultural situations in those countries: 2 authoritarian regimes + extreme competitiveness of S. Korea.
It seems like the neoliberal era growth model has long since broken down, and our politics haven't adapted with deeper reforms to reflect the latest technologies, etc. that could produce more material abundance than today (see: China's rise).
As a left accelerationist, I can't help but think that a society with a 4 day week, no precarity, cheap access to good housing, healthcare, education, etc. would increase the social trust and the birth rate, as most people want kids and want them to grow up in a thriving society.
People choosing to be “childfree” are not the only (or maybe even primary factor) in total fertility rates being below replacement rate. Increase in 1 child families also heavily contributes (technically decreases in 3+ child families contributes since TFR is 2.1).