Don’t tell their mothers.
Less than half of young Americans think having kids is important, a shocking new survey found.
Out of the more than 2,000 18-to-29-year-olds surveyed for this year’s Harvard Youth Poll, only 48% said procreating is crucial – and even fewer, 46%, believed children were within reach.
Having kids was ranked the lowest among the six life goals respondents were asked about in the March survey, behind financial security, home ownership, long-term romantic partnership, marriage and significant wealth.
Marriage was on the outs too.
Overall, 57% of respondents said getting married was important, while 53% said they were optimistic they would actually make it to the altar.
Instead, more young Americans — 67% — prioritized finding a long-term romantic relationship.
While men and women rated romantic goals equally important, 62% of women were confident about finding a long-term partner compared to 52% of men, and were more optimistic about tying the knot, with 56% of women considering it a likely goal and 49% of men feeling the same.
The majority of young women, 53%, said political agreement in a romantic relationship was important, while only 42% of men felt the same.
Across party lines, 70% of Democrats thought political alignment with a partner was important, versus 48% of Republicans.
Political party affiliation also played a role in how young people viewed the questions, according to the survey results published April 23.
Conservatives put a premium on having children, with 69% of Republicans calling it important compared to 43% of Democrats. Getting married was ranked as important for 75% of Republicans but just 56% of liberals.
When it comes to expectations for women, far more young Republicans than Democrats — 25% vs. 3% — said females feel pressure to prioritize career over family, while liberals were significantly more likely than conservatives — 32% vs. 11% — to believe society pressures women to prioritize family over career.
Financial security was the most sought-after milestone among money-hungry young Americans, with 86% saying it was important, followed by home ownership, which was valued by 74% of respondents.
Only 56%, however, expressed confidence they would achieve economic stability.