Young adults cite cost and security in choosing to stay child-free

A MassMutual survey found that 23% of millennials and Gen Z adults without children do not plan to become parents for financial reasons, a sign that the choice to have a family is increasingly being weighed against rent, debt and day-to-day stability. The adults surveyed ranged from 18 to 43, and the findings landed as the annual U.S. birth rate slowed to a record low.

The numbers point to an affordability trap that reaches beyond a single household budget. In the same survey, respondents said the appeal of financial freedom matters alongside the cost of raising a child, suggesting that parenthood is being measured not only against diapers and child care, but against savings, emergency funds and the ability to keep pace with a fragile economy. CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger offered tips for managing that pressure.

Another survey showed that 31% of young adults who do not plan to have children point instead to the political and social world their children would inherit. That answer sits alongside the financial one, hinting that the decision to remain child-free is being shaped by more than personal preference. For many younger adults, the calculation now includes not just whether they can afford a child, but whether they want to bring one into a society they see as unstable.

A separate study found that 54% of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 29 and 50% of millennials ages 30 to 45 feel pressure to choose between financial security and having any or more children. More than two-thirds of the two generations combined said the cost of raising a child in today’s economy feels financially out of reach. That gap between aspiration and affordability is widening at the same time housing, child care and student debt continue to strain household balance sheets.

Taken together, the surveys show a generation making family formation look less like a milestone and more like an economic decision. The result is not a simple rejection of parenthood, but a choice postponed by prices and insecurity that many young adults say they cannot afford to ignore.