Almost half of childless Americans between the ages of 18 and 49 say they are unlikely to ever have kids, with many saying they just don’t want any [1]. The share giving this answer has risen from 37pc to 47pc in just five years, according to a Pew Research Center survey. America’s fertility rate is now below replacement level.
The study interviewed 2,542 adults ages 50 and older who don’t have children and 770 adults ages 18 to 49 who say they are not too, or not at all, likely to have them.
What is notable is that many did not cite affordability as their main reason for not wanting children but mentioned lifestyle reasons instead.
About four-in-ten of those in the older group (38%) say there was a time when they wanted to have children. A smaller but sizable share (32%) say they never wanted children, and 25% say they weren’t sure one way or the other. Few say they frequently felt pressure to have children from family, friends or society in general.
Reasons for not having children – or being unlikely to ever have them – differ between the older and younger groups. The top response for those ages 50 and older is that it just didn’t happen. Meanwhile, those in the younger group are most likely to say they just don’t want to have kids. Women younger than 50 are especially likely to say they just don’t want to have children (64% vs. 50% of men in this group).