44% of Childless Americans "Have No Intention to Give Birth"… Up 7%P from 3 Years Ago

Source: Pew Research Center

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] More than four out of ten childless American adults have no plans to have children in the future.

The Washington Post reported this on the 21st (local time), citing a survey result released by the U.S. polling organization Pew Research Center.

When asked childless adult men and women whether they planned to have children, 44% of respondents answered "No." This is a 7 percentage point increase from 37% in 2018. On the other hand, those who answered "Definitely yes" accounted for 26%, a 6 percentage point decrease over the same period. The response "Somewhat yes" was 29.0%, the same as three years ago.

The most common reason for not planning to have children was "simply do not want to," at 56%. This was followed by "medical reasons (19%)," "financial reasons (17%)," and "lack of a partner (15%)." Some respondents also cited "national conditions (9%)" and "climate change (5%)" as reasons.

Among respondents who have children, 54% said they would not have more children. The most common reason was "do not want more" at 63%, followed by "age (29%)" and "medical reasons (23%)."

The survey was conducted from the 18th to the 24th of last month, targeting 3,866 Americans aged 18 to 49. Pew Research Center stated, "There was little difference in responses by gender, but there was a difference by age," adding, "Those aged 40 and above were less likely to want children compared to younger groups."

Birth rates in the U.S. sharply declined last year due to the spread of COVID-19 and other factors. The Washington Post analyzed, "This survey shows that the U.S. has entered a long-term trend of not wanting children," and "Rising costs of child-rearing, medical expenses, and education have brought changes in attitudes toward marriage and more."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.