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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   1461 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for January 25, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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The Haredi are to my knowledge, virtually unique in that they've largely retained their traditional way of life in the middle of an ultra-modern society without going the way of the Amish. Not only are they not shrinking, they're actually increasing their share of the population, to the point that it has become a significant political issue. I'm deeply curious about this. Can anyone a) recommend good scholarship on the Haredi or b) point me towards any other similar modernity-defying groups?

After Yiddish and Pennsylvania Dutch, the language with the highest TFR in America is Somali. Also, you can probably find a study on urban-dwelling Salafist families in the Middle East who have huge families, ie there are fundamentalist families in Riyadh working oil & gas who will have 5+ kids.

I'm curious about these numbers- do you have a source collecting by language? Just want to check a bunch of stuff out, not doubting.

For Yiddish-speaking households: https://www.niussp.org/fertility-and-reproduction/fertility-and-nuptiality-of-ultra-orthodox-jews-in-the-united-states/

In the American Community Survey 2021, looking at spoken language at home, Somali sits at 5.2 https://x.com/BirthGauge/status/1583095374654283776

https://data.census.gov/app/mdat/ACSPUMS1Y2024

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