Why Americans don't want kids
For the majority of adults in the U.S., the reason for not having kids is that they just don't want to. Image: REUTERS/Murad Sezer
- More than half of non-parents in the US aged 18-49 who say they are not likely to have children, have simply decided against it.
- Aside from medical reasons, the next most common reason for not having children, was financial at 17%.
- 9% of respondents were put off by the current state of the world.
- Climate change and the environment was cited by 5% of respondents as a reason for not wanting to have a child.
For the majority of childless adults in the U.S., the reason for not having kids is bluntly simple: "I just don't want to". According to a new survey by Pew Research Center, 56 percent of 18-49-year old non-parents in the States who say they are not too likely, or not at all likely to have children have simply decided against it.
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Breaking down the other reasons though, we can see an interesting mix of factors coming into play. Aside from the involuntary situation of having medical reasons, the most common deterrent was financial (17 percent). Looking outside of their own personal situation, 9 percent of respondents have even been put off by the current state of the world. Meanwhile 5 percent cited climate change and the environment specifically as reasons for not wanting to bring another life onto the planet.
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