The US fertility rate hit a historic low in 2023, and new research may provide some answers as to why.
A report by the Pew Research Center published on July 25 shows that 47% of Americans younger than 50 and without children said they are unlikely to ever have kids, a 10-point rise from 2018. Fifty-seven percent of those Americans younger than 50 without children said the major reason they won’t have any kids is that they just don’t want to.
Pew’s report is based on surveys from April 29 to May 19 with 2,542 people ages 50 and older and 770 people between the ages of 18 and 49. Pew looked at Americans ages 50 and older who don’t have children and Americans between 18 and 49 who don’t have children and say it’s unlikely they will.
Sixty-four percent of women and 50% of men under the age of 50 and without kids cited “just don’t want to” as the main reason they are unlikely to have children.
This comes as the US fertility rate hit a historic low: it decreased by 3% between 2022 and 2023, according to a press release by the CDC on April 25. From 2014 to 2020, the fertility rate decreased by 2% annually, according to the CDC.
Meanwhile, 36% of Americans under 50 and without kids said they can’t afford to have children. Additionally, 26% cited concerns about the environment as the major reason for not having children.
Americans under the age of 50 without kids were nearly four times more likely than Americans over the age of 50 without kids to cite environmental concerns as a major reason not to have children.
Americans without kids say they have more time for their careers
Many Americans without kids told Pew that the decision lets them focus more on their careers, save money, and have time to engage in social life.
Four in five Americans under the age of 50 said it’s easier for them to have time for their hobbies and interests because they don’t have kids, and 61% said it’s easier to be successful in their jobs because they don’t have kids.
Americans under the age of 50 were more likely than Americans over the age of 50 to cite concerns about the state of the world, affordability, and an interest in focusing on other things as reasons not to have children.
Business Insider has reported on the rise of DINKs, which are households with dual income and no kids. These individuals have shared with BI how living child-free has given them financial stability and the ability to travel.
“Deciding not to have kids, and instead deciding to just focus on our interests and our desires and what we want out of life has just given us a little bit more freedom, essentially, to take advantage of the world now, versus having to wait until our kids are grown or until we retire — if we retire,” Nicole Valdez, a 37-year-old publishing publicity manager and DINKWAD—which stands for double income, no kids, with a dog — previously told Business Insider.
Are you choosing not to have children and comfortable talking about why? This reporter wants to hear your story. Please reach out at jtowfighi@businessinsider.com.
