Pew Research: Fewer Millennials and Gen Z Want Kids — Here’s Why

In the last decade, younger Americans have begun to rethink parenthood — not because they don’t value family, but because of what it now costs to raise one.

According to new Pew data, the average number of children U.S. adults ages 20 to 39 plan to have has dropped from 2.3 in 2012 to just 1.8 in 2023. That’s well below the “replacement rate” of 2.1 — the number of births needed to maintain population size over time.

For women in their early 20s, the shift is even sharper: just 66% say they plan to have at least one child, down from 93% a decade ago.

While cultural narratives blame declining birthrates on individual “lifestyle choices,” this data tells a different story:

• Women with college degrees are planning fewer children, likely reflecting how deeply childcare costs, work-life balance, and structural inequality shape these decisions.

• 60% of Americans say free child care would help reverse this trend, while half support policies like paid family leave or expanded child tax credits.

In other words, Americans aren’t giving up on parenthood — they’re waiting for a country that doesn’t make it so hard.