The Experiences of U.S. Adults Who Don't Have Children
A Pew Research Center survey found that 57% of U.S. adults under 50 cite not wanting children as a major reason, influenced by personal, economic, and societal factors, reflecting declining fertility rates.
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Pew Research Center conducted a survey to explore the experiences of U.S. adults without children, focusing on two groups: those aged 50 and older and those younger than 50 who are unlikely to have children. The survey revealed that 57% of adults under 50 cite not wanting children as a major reason for their decision, compared to 31% of those 50 and older. The younger group also expressed concerns about the world, financial constraints, and environmental issues as significant factors. In contrast, older adults often indicated that not having children was due to circumstances rather than choice, with 38% stating they once wanted children.
Both groups reported benefits from not having children, such as greater financial freedom, more time for personal interests, and career success. However, many expressed concerns about aging, particularly regarding financial security and care. The survey highlighted that women under 50 were more likely than men to cite personal desire and negative family experiences as reasons for not wanting children. Additionally, while both genders shared similar experiences, women reported feeling more societal pressure to have children and found career success easier without kids.
The findings reflect a broader trend of declining fertility rates in the U.S., with an increasing number of adults choosing not to have children, influenced by personal, economic, and societal factors. The survey included responses from 2,542 adults aged 50 and older and 770 younger adults, conducted between April and May 2024.
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2 commentsBasically grew up in a small isolated nuclear family. Mom and dad hated each other. Dad only wanted one kid and to sleep with other women. Mom wanted to be unhappy and passed that personality trait on to me. My siblings were all older and tried to escape our parents as fast as possible
So kinda grew up as an only child with a lot of independence inside the house but nowhere to go and no visible examples of what "normal" families look like
Around college one of my siblings had a kid by accident and it was obviously a huge strain on them, financially, mentally, etc. There are some things you simply cannot do once you realize someone is pregnant and keeping it
So after college nothing changed. I never developed that healthy adult friendship people talk about having with their families. My parents made no effort to not be cut off, so... I just quit talking to them little by little. We have nothing in common, as if I picked a stranger off the street and tried to befriend them.
So now it's like, why? When programming pays great, when there's more hobbies and travel experiences I want, when more money is always nice to have, when there's more people I want to love and I barely even feel like a real adult in my 30s... Why have kids?
It would cost me more than I could bear
It’s one of those topics where there’s a lot of data but most people have a position and whatever counter data is provided is typically discarded as irrelevant.
For example plenty would argue about whether having a child so “someone takes care of you when you’re older” or “so you’re not lonely” is a valid reason to have a child at all.
And on and on with no foundational agreement on what the outcomes or impacts of social demands on major individual life decisions should be promoted or even allowed legally.
This is again despite a lot of data about what happens when cultures are either coerced into a fertility management programs (one child program , forced sterilization in the south etc), or let people freely choose and the waxing and waning of populations and societies historically documented since antiquity
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