The latest data from the Pew Research Center suggests that Americans are rethinking whether they want to be parents. This may be part of the long-term trend, as a team from Michigan State University found that the percentage of non-parents who never want children in the United States has doubled over the past 20 years.
“We found that we didn’t want any child to rise from 14% in 2002 to 29% non-parents in 2023,” said Jennifer Watling Neal, a professor in the Department of Psychology and co-author of the study. “During the same period, the percentage of non-parents who plan to have children in the future fell from 79% to 59%.
The study – published in the Journal of Marriage and Family – divides non-parents into several types, including “childless” people who don’t want children, “childless” people, people who want children but cannot have children, and “not yet parents” who plan to have children in the future.
The researchers used data from the National Family Growth Survey, which surveyed 80,000 adults between 2002 and 2023. Since most studies using these data focus on women’s biological fertility, Watling Neal explained that the study was one of the first studies to consider both men and women, as well as desire for biology and nonbiological children.
“From previous studies, we know from previous studies that non-fertile adults are a large adult in Michigan,” said Zachary Neal, professor of psychology and co-author of the study. “These new results confirm that this is part of a national trend that has been developing for more than 20 years.”
Different types of non-parents have different needs. A non-parent group that often discusses needs are adults who want children but are difficult to conceive and may seek fertility treatment. However, Neil notes: “The relatively few non-parents have no children, and the size of this group has been stable for many years.”
By contrast, as the population of childless adults continues to grow, ensuring that their unique needs are met will be important. As Watling Neal explains, “Childless adults need long-term contraception needs, and retirement plans without heirs are required, but medical and financial services providers are often not able to meet these needs.”
The research team will next explore trends in global non-parasite types and the possible roles economic and politically play.
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