Survey: 1 in 3 Young Adults in America Do Not Want to Have Children

A shocking new study shows that one-third of young adults in America today do not have children, and do not plan on having children.

As reported by Breitbart, the poll was conducted by the Independent Center and Newsweek. The results of the survey found that 30% of Generation Z, known as “Zoomers,” and Millennials currently do not have children, and have no plans to have children of their own. Zoomers are generally considered to be the generation that was born between 1997 and 2012, while Millennials are viewed as being between 1981 and 1996.

In the same survey, 62% of respondents said that they either currently have or want to have children, while the remaining 9% say they are unsure.

When asked for their reasoning as to why they refuse to have children, 23% said that they consider it “irresponsible because of climate.” The vast majority, 60% disagreed with this statement, while another 17% remained unsure. Other reasons that were given for the decline in families include the notion that the “American Dream is just a dream” and no longer achievable for many young adults.

This report follows an announcement in April by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the U.S. birthrate has fallen to an historic low.

A similar study in 2023 from Pew Research Center also shows a decline in the preference for starting families, with 55% of Democrat respondents saying that they believe lower birthrates are a “positive impact” on the climate. In June of 2024, another study from Pew Research discovered that a mere 19% of Biden voters believe that “society is better off if people make marriage and having children a priority.” By contrast, 59% of Trump supporters agree with this statement, compared to 39% of registered voters overall.

In 2023, Gallup held a survey on the matter and found that American citizens’ preference for having families of three or more children has actually reached its highest level since 1971. However, the study also noted that adults under the age of 30 are “far less likely” to have children, despite 63% saying they want to have children one day.

“Young adults are also more likely than older age groups to think having three or more children is ideal,” Gallup summarized. “Thus, the greater risk of the U.S. population shrinking due to a declining birth rate may stem from young adults waiting much longer than prior generations to start having children rather than from a decreased desire to have children altogether.”

The study by the Independent Center and Newsweek was conducted between October 18th and October 22nd, with a sample size of 1,200 likely voters under the age of 45. The margin of error is 2.8%.