Hugh: One Quarter of Young Adults Are Ruling Out Ever Having Kids

If it seems like more and more people are deciding against raising a family, it’s because that’s exactly what’s happening. According to a recent survey, one quarter of adults aged 18-34 say they’ve already decided against having kids. Only 55% of respondents say they plan to have children in the future, while 20% are unsure. There are plenty of reasons why one might decide against having children, with the most popular answers being a desire to focus more on themselves, financial concerns, and fears about the state of the world. Other common concerns are worries about the environment, career aspirations, and existing health issues. Even though for many young adults the decision to forego having children is a fairly common one, they don’t escape the pressure from others to reproduce. 71% of respondents say they feel societal pressure to have children, mostly from mothers and grandmothers.