"Germany is Doing Away With Itself," claims a new controversial book, blaming partially the country's low birth rate. But does it? A new study finds that Germans suddenly are willing to make more babies.

German women give birth to an average 1.41 children, not enough to sustain population growth which requires a rate above two. By comparison. the average US woman produces 2.05 children, but only because of the high birth rate among Hispanics (2.3).

For those Germans who fear their species is dying out or that they soon will be outnumbered by people with immigration backgrounds, there is hope on the horizon.

According to the study, the number of childless Germans who expressed the wish to start a family jumped nine percentage points in just two years.

In his book, central banker and former Berlin politician Thilo Sarrazin claims, among other things, that Islamic immigrants were undermining German society because of their unwillingness to integrate and their higher biirth rates.

The survey was conducted by the Allensbach Institute for Public Opinion and released by the ministry this week.

This year 52 percent of the childless poll participants said they “definitely” planned on at least one baby, up from 43 percent in 2008.

Young men in particular showed an increased will to reproduce, with 48 percent saying they “definitely want children” - up from 37 percent in 2008, the study said.

Just 20 percent of the childless poll participants said they had ruled out the prospect of kids, about the same number as in 2008.

Meanwhile the majority of Germans (78 percent), said that family was the most important thing in their lives, ahead of health, financial security, and friendships.

germerica/agencies