A new study revealed that one in five Americans do not want children. According to the study by Michigan State University researchers, Americans decide earlier in life against becoming parents, mostly in their teenage years and early twenties.
Study shows that 21.6% of adults don’t want kids
Co-study author Zachary Neal stated that the study found that 21.6% (1.7 million) adults didn’t want kids and thus were “childfree.” Researchers asked respondents three questions to separate adults who were “childfree” from those with kids and other kinds of non-parents. The data came from a sample of 1,500 subjects that completed the Michigan State University’s state of the State Survey, carried out by the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research.
The study is one of its kind, focusing on determining adults that wish to be childfree. Co-study author Jennifer Watling Neal explained that individuals, more so women who don’t want kids, are usually told that they might change their perspective, but the survey found otherwise. According to Watling Neal, most people make the decision early in life, but it is not only young people that don’t want to have children. She explains that women who chose to be childfree in their teens are, on average, around 40 years and don’t have any kids.
Around 50 million Americans want to be childfree
Although the study only considered Michigan residents, the researchers indicated that the sample was demographically the same as the US as per the 2021 census. Interestingly, should the trend continue, it is likely that around 50 million to 60 million Americans might not want children.
However, after the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, Americans might likely be forced to have kids even if they don’t want them. The researchers explain that if the courts overturn other precedents, plus birth control procedures become challenging for women in the US, it will lead to challenges for women wishing to be child-free.
The researchers concluded that there is a need for more attention to the expanding demographic of child-free Americans. In addition, more research is necessary to ascertain why most Americans avoid parenthood.
