EXCLUSIVE We live in one of Britains biggest baby deserts - THIS is why the birth rate has slumped: Bristol locals reveal reason for fall in women having children despite citys booming economy

Rising prices, climate change and polyamory - these are some of the factors Bristol residents say are putting people off having children as the thriving city grapples with one of the countrys lowest birth rates.

The bustling city has a booming economy and a highly educated population, but research has revealed the number of babies born in the South West city has slumped by a third in a decade.

MailOnline has spoken to Bristolians about why they believe the citys birthrate has fallen by 36 per cent between 2023 and 2013 - to just 1.14 children per woman.

As well as the cost-of-living crisis, residents compared the battle to get nursery places for their children to the Hunger Games, citing the lack of spaces and exorbitant fees.  

According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), just 21 per cent of Bristol households have four or more people.

With primary schools shuttered around the city and a decline in pupil numbers, people of Bristol have attributed the drop to a number of factors.

Bridget Foster, 75, a retired care home owner from Clifton, said social rather than economic factors were reasons for people not to have children.

She told MailOnline: I think people are aware of whats going on in the world - the climate, Putin - and are not too keen to have large families.

Plus women work so its harder. Childcare is expensive.

My children have at least one child each. Theyre very political, theyre very woke; they care about what happens but its a big thing.

Pretty much most of their friends have children.

There are now too few children to fill Bristols 131 primary schools. Figures show that last year, 4,647 families applied for a primary school place in the city, 300 fewer than the year before. 

Meanwhile, in September, 18 per cent fewer children started reception than eight years prior.

As the city faces a dwindling birth rate, Bristols economy has boomed to almost double its size between 2004 and 2021. While there has been an uptake in highly skilled workers powering Bristols economy, it has also driven up house prices, forcing families to look elsewhere.

Alternative relationships and problems with modern dating were seen as reasons for childless people as well.

Phoebe, 32, a researcher from St George, said: I feel like a lot of the good schools are only in certain pockets.

Dating apps and relationships are in the trenches at the moment. I think alternative and polyamorous relationships seem to be quite popular in Bristol so that could be a factor.

In Bristol the wealth is quite divided. All the rich people live on the hill and everybody else is down in the centre. I would like to have a kid but Im 32 and single, so I probably need to make my mind up.

Vladimir Gabdrakhmanov, 22, a head barista living in St Pauls, attributed it to the higher cost of having a family now as opposed to pre-pandemic. 

He added: Even if you earn around £30,000 a year you still cannot afford to rent most of the properties - nobody wants to have a child in that economy.

Hannah Nuttall, 36, a project officer living in central Bristol, said: Nursery fees are higher and there is a lack of nurseries in Bristol - its like the Hunger Games out there.

Its expensive. It was worse but theyre introducing free hours now so that is making it a lot easier.

I am lucky because my family are here but most people my age dont have family in Bristol.

A lot of people that go to universities here stay in Bristol. Its a really attractive city to live in but a lot of people arent based near their families, and that is integral to raising your child. It just makes it a ton easier.

I think that is the difference between somebody having more than one kid.

Finance is one thing but I think its also having somebody to help look after your kids. Ive got friends who lived in London and moved back to Bristol [after having children] because thats where their parents were. I think thats a big factor for why people dont have subsequent children.

It is really expensive to live here. Its really expensive to rent. Its a growing economy but we dont get that salary bump even though renting is London prices.

If you want to get a big family house its really hard to get that. It is one thing trying to look for a room in a house share but another when youve got two kids and youre trying to have a whole house in a good area.

Tom Stokes, 28, a researcher living in Clifton, said economic costs of raising children were the biggest factor putting young people off having families.

He said: It costs a lot to have a kid and I think a lot of people have things they want to do before they have kids and its pushing people back - maybe you have to make decisions whether you want to have kids or focus on your career, you cant do both necessarily.

Do you want to have a kid in this current world?

Nick Carter, 40, a pastor living in Sea Mills, was in agreement. He said: Im expecting my third now but I am 40.

Thats the new normal, people having kids later but it doesnt then make it very easy to have kids.

Youre most likely renting. To buy a house in our age bracket with kids is pretty hard.

Emma Raspin, 35, of Clifton, said: I think our circle is largely young parents but they are having kids later.

We got to a point where I was paying to go to work and I wasnt earning a bad salary.

Even with government support and the rest of it, its not really covering what childcare looks like. Maybe people are having one kid but beyond that its too expensive.

Her husband David, 37, a management consultant, said: I think money is a big component.

The nursery is really expensive. We would have struggled having two in nursery - our three-year-old is in nursery.

Emma has actively taken the position to step back from work to look after our one-year-old because of the expense - spending more than £2,000 on nursery is a lot.

But Jack James, 21, an electrician from St George, said: I would have probably said the birth rate was higher. I know a lot of people my age having kids and it seems quite common which is probably a bit too early.

I wouldnt say people cant afford kids.

A number of mothers cited the danger of the modern world - including social medias influence on young people - as something putting people off bringing children up.

Natasha Nair, 39, a cosmetic makeup artist from Bradley Stoke, said: Feedback from clients tells me that peoples lives are different.

Women are more pushed to have a career now.

The mother of two children, who are aged 14 and 17, added: Young people dont want to bring them into the world in which were living now.

Cathy Carver, 35, a hairdresser from Thornbury, added: Women are having to work more. My mum always says to me she doesnt know how we do it with the kids, we are self-employed as well.

I went back to work five weeks after having my child.

Were holding off for longer as well. When I was in my teens, I wanted to have kids by 25 and now I am 35 and I am thinking I will give myself until 40 if I want another one.

My son is turning four and I am a bit nervous. You do wonder how to protect them and teach them to make smarter choices.

I dont feel scared on the streets at all but I feel drained from technology; you have to switch off.

Younger people did not tend to see the city as a place for growing families, but rather one to develop a career or study, before leaving to become a parent.

Nadya Tarasheva, 23, a barista living in Stokes Croft, said: I assume its something to do with there being more young people because of the universities. People come here for university and work a couple of years and maybe move out to have kids outside of the city.

Bristols economy is the strongest outside of London, according to the Centre for Cities think tank.

The city has the highest productivity of all the UKs large cities and the highest share of jobs in knowledge service activities.

The number of jobs has increased by 21 per cent since 2009 - four per cent more than the rest of England and Wales - with well-performing sectors including the digital, science and tech sphere.

The creation of high-skilled jobs led to an increase in population between 2004 and 2022, mostly comprising people coming for work.

But now many residents struggle to afford the rising house and rental prices as well as the cost of living - which they say is on a par to Londons.

Toby Corner, 26, unemployed and living in Stokes Croft, added: Its insane to me that I struggle to understand how people get on the property ladder. I personally dont really want kids, thats been a stable thing, but if I did I am so far away from the possibility of having kids financially.

I would struggle to want to have kids seeing the state of the political system in the country. I dont feel particularly comfortable in it and I dont know how I would feel responsible bringing someone else up in a situation I myself dont feel comfortable in.

Bristol is just a university city and the university is so big. The amount of property they own is insane.

I think that has a knock-on effect as well, not only for people in the city but also the housing situation.

People come here for education or career development and then would go somewhere else if they wanted to raise their family.

I would struggle to see it as a place to bring kids up within the city centre.