The world rejects the charge of selfishness: 50 % believe having a child today is not selfish, 25 % think it is, and 25 % take no side. Half the vote therefore refuses the question as framed.
The gender gap is total: men answer yes unanimously, women mostly no. On a question that concerns them first, it is women who reject the accusation most clearly.
Age follows the same logic. The 18-24s are the harshest and supply most of the « yes », while the 45-54s, the 55-64s and the over-65s unanimously reject the idea. The more experience of parenthood, the less it looks like a selfish act.
The debate, unlike the vote, leans entirely towards the accusation, but it does not accuse parents, it describes a context. The most endorsed voice lists the state of the world: geopolitical tension, wars, a degrading climate, an economy on life support, pressure on natural resources, risks tied to new technologies.
Its central argument is one of responsibility rather than reproach: raising a child is not only committing to give them a loving environment, it is also raising them in that world. A second voice adds a material condition, especially when you cannot afford it.
The majority camp, which won the vote, sent nobody to defend its position. The round therefore produces a rare gap: a majority that rejects the charge, and a debate in which only the prosecution speaks.