‘Greater economic opportunities’

the labour market will be filled by robots and computers.

Sixty-two per cent of adults polled said reducing the cost of childcare or making it free of charge would encourage people to have more children.

Childcare is more expensive in Britain than almost anywhere else in the rich world, amounting to more than half the earnings of the average parent according to the study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Meanwhile, a separate Ipsos poll found that opinion varies between parents over who takes charge of everyday childcare jobs, with men more likely to claim chores are evenly shared between the mother and father.

Dr Aveek Bhattacharya, of the Social Market Foundation thinktank, said: ‘Birth rates have been falling in the UK for several years. That likely reflects greater freedom, better economic opportunities and stronger reproductive rights.’