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KSL Newsradio's Andrew Adams reportingThe latest data show Utah remains more fertile ground for children than elsewhere in the United States. Some researchers say religion may be part of the reason.
Fewer kids are being born in America, including here in Utah. It's a trend that started in the 1960s. But the state's fertility rate remains significantly higher than the national average. BYU Family Life professor David Dollahite says sharing religious beliefs helps husbands and wives stay together, and reproduce.
"When a couple's united in those, then it brings tremendous benefits both to them in their marriage, and to their children, and their family life as a whole," he said.
Dollahite says LDS values certainly are having an impact here, but he says it isn't just a Mormon phenomenon. Devout Catholics and orthodox Jews also trend toward larger families.
