Survey finds: More Americans don't want to have children

A growing number of American adults who are not yet parents say they are likely not to have children, citing lack of interest, financial instability or lack of a partner, Bloomberg News reported on Nov. 20. A new survey by the Pew Research Center found that 44 percent of Americans ages 18 to 49 who are not yet parents say they are unlikely or not likely to one day have children, up from 2018 37%, up 7 percentage points. The findings do not bode well for reversing the decline in the U.S. fertility rate. The U.S. fertility rate has been hit hard by the public health and economic crisis triggered by the pandemic. The number of babies born in the U.S. in 2020 fell 4 percent to about 3.6 million, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to the report, about a quarter of adults under 40 who are already parents do not want more children because of the associated financial costs, while three in 10 say they do not want more children because of themselves is too old.

The survey was reportedly conducted Oct. 18-24 among 3,866 U.S. adults between the ages of 18 and 49.