For a significant number of young Americans, the decision to have children is as much personal as financial.
Young Americans say parenthood now feels like a choice between family and financial security
Credits to Jaime Duzi for the action
For a significant number of young Americans, the decision to have children is as much personal as financial.
New research from Intuit Credit Karma, conducted by The Harris Poll in April 2026, surveyed 629 U.S. adults, ages 18-45, who did not want to have children or more, or weren’t sure if they wanted to. The research shows that 54% of Gen Z (ages 18-29) and 50% of Millennials (ages 30-45) surveyed feel their own financial security and pressure to have any or more children.
That pressure is exacerbated by today’s economic conditions. More than two-thirds (68%) of Gen Z and millennials combined say the cost of raising a child in today’s economy is financially out of reach for anyone in their financial situation. And many do not expect the situation to improve soon. Nearly three-quarters (71%) say the economy will not be stable enough for them to comfortably start or raise a family within five years.
As this article from Credit action Finds out, for many young Americans, those concerns translate into delayed or reconsidered family planning. Just over 6 in 10 (61%) of Gen Z and Millennials say the combined finances have influenced their decision to delay, limit or reconsider childbearing. Rising everyday expenses appear to be at the center of that decision, with living expenses (33%) and childcare (26%) emerging as the most commonly cited financial barriers.
Child care, in particular, continues to weigh heavily on family planning decisions. More than a third (36%) of Gen Z and millennials combined say they would seriously reconsider having children or expanding their family if childcare was more affordable or subsidized.
The top financial factors influencing the decision to have one or more children include:
It’s not just about money
According to research, finances dominate, but they are not the only factor shaping family planning decisions. A quarter (25%) of Gen Z and millennials value their current lifestyle, and more than 1 in 5 (22%) worry about the kind of world their children will grow up in. Other reasons include feeling too old (21%), especially for millennials (31%) with 4% of Gen Z or not having a partner’s health problem (7%) (7%) partner’s health problem. Climate change/environmental concerns (10%) and simply not wanting children (10%).
When asked to weigh the two, 44% say financial worries and the current state of the world are equally responsible for their decision not to have children or to have more children.
“The decision to have children has become closely tied to financial security for many young Americans,” said Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate for Intuit Credit Karma. “We’re seeing people weigh their long-term financial stability against major life decisions in a way that previous generations couldn’t.”
method
The survey was conducted online in the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Credit Karma between April 9-13, 2026 among 629 US adults aged 18-45 who do not want to have any/more children or are not sure if they want (referred to as Gen Z and Millennials). The sampling precision of Harris Online Polls is measured using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, sample data are accurate to within +/- 4.9 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will span the subset of the surveyed population of interest.
This is the story is produced by Credit action and review and distribution Stacker.
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Previously published at hub.stackernewswire
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