Rowan on Instagram: "For the first time EVER in human history, the elderly population now outnumbers the young children population, this is because the world is too expensive for people to raise a family, and boomer politicians and capitalism is the reason for this. #politics"
Verdict: Some core demographic and tax facts are right, but the video overstates causes and makes several unsupported predictions.
The clip mixes a true global aging milestone with exaggerated claims about causes, college history, and Gen Z homeownership.
Claim-by-claim breakdown
Accurate (95% confidence): For the first time in recorded history, the global population age 65+ has outnumbered children age 5 and under. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that worldwide the population age 65+ exceeds the population age 5 and under for the first time in recorded history.
Unsupported (54% confidence): The reason this is happening is that people cannot afford to have children anymore. Global fertility has fallen for many reasons, including education, contraception, urbanization, and changing preferences; affordability is one factor, but not a proven sole cause.
Accurate (86% confidence): Public college or university used to be free or very low cost for many students in the U.S., especially in the 1960s. Historical sources show public college tuition was much lower in the 1960s than today, and some state systems were tuition-free or near-free for residents; however, private schools and many public programs still charged fees and costs.
Accurate (96% confidence): The top U.S. federal individual income tax rate used to be around 91%, and today it is 37%. Historical tax references show the top federal individual rate was 91% in the early 1960s, and IRS rate tables currently show a top rate of 37%.
Accurate (91% confidence): The top U.S. corporate income tax rate used to be around 52%, and today it is 21%. Sources on U.S. tax history show the top corporate rate was about 52%-53% in the 1950s-60s and the federal corporate rate is 21% today.
Unsupported (82% confidence): Gen Z will never own a home in their lifetime. Current homeownership rates for Gen Z are low compared with older generations, but that does not prove none will ever own homes.
Unsupported (42% confidence): Working harder usually does not lead to higher wages. Wage growth depends on occupation, market conditions, experience, and bargaining power; the statement is too general to assess as a factual claim.
Unsupported (33% confidence): Boomer politicians and capitalism are the reason people are not having children and the cost of living has risen. The video offers an opinionated explanation rather than a demonstrable causal finding.