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Soaring house prices are fuelling the drop in the birth rate in Bristol, according to new research.

The boom in property prices mean that young renters in their 20s put off having a family.

But once a couple own their own home the rise in property value gives them the confidence to start a family.

According to Land Registry data, average house prices across England have soared almost four times between 1995 and 2013, from £67,000 to £234,000, increasing more than ten times in some counties.

But in Bristol, which has consistently seen greater house price rises than everyone in England - outside of London - for the past five years, the switch to renting has been more marked than ever.

Economist Cevat Aksoy said there is a ‘plausible link’ between renting, home ownership and having children.

The research from the London School of Economics reveals the average birth rate among people who own their own home is higher than people of the same age and marital status, but who are still renting.

And while there is a link between a rising birth rate among property owners who are seeing the value of their homes rise, it is more than off-set by a bigger drop in the birth rate among people who are stuck in rented homes.

Mr Aksoy worked out a ten per cent increase in house prices leads to 2.8 per cent more births among home owners - but 4.9 percent fewer among renters.

Mr Akjsoy said combining these calculations leads to a 1.3% fall in the overall English birth rate.

This may be because the increased wealth of home owners allows them to start a family, while private renters put off having kids until they are on the property ladder.

Mr Aksoy, of the London School of Economics, also showed the phenomenon among renters is mainly driven by those aged 20 to 29.

“In contrast, the positive effect of house prices on birth rates is driven primarily by the older cohort, those aged 30 to 44, in which people are significantly more likely to be home owners and less likely to postpone having children,” he added.

“These findings support the notion that housing costs exert downward pressure on the fertility outcome of young adults and that there is a connection between getting on the property ladder and building a family.”

Latest government figures show there were 695,233 live births in England and Wales in 2014, a fall of 0.5 per cent from 698,512 in 2013.

In 2014, the total fertility rate decreased to 1.83 children per woman, from 1.85 in 2013.

The study presented at the Royal Economic Society’s annual conference at the University of Bristol is potentially important for public policy, enabling a reversal of the this trend through the design of better housing and child benefit schemes.

One example would be to scrap the Help-to-Buy ISA’s maximum purchase cap of £250,000 and £450,000 for London.

Mr Aksoy said: “This cap limits couples to buy two or more bedroom family homes and creates a barrier for young potential first-time buyers.

“If such government schemes help people not only to get a foot on the housing ladder but also afford a family house rather than a flat, they could decrease the number of privately rented households with children.”

The government’s flagship Help to Buy Individual Savings Account (HTB Isa) was introduced in 2015 to help people save for a home.

Mr Aksoy said given housing wealth is a major component of the home owner’s assets, an increase in prices leads to an increase in demand for children, the lifeblood of any successful country.

For tenants, on the other hand, higher rent payments may force them to reduce their consumption in line with the increase in cost of housing, leading to fewer children.

The birth rate in England is now more than a fifth below the peak seen during the 1960s baby boom.

At the same time the population is becoming older, with the number of people over 75 rising by 89 per cent in a generation.

In 2015, the UK reached a major demographic milestone with the average age of its inhabitants passing 40 for the first time.