A recent study conducted by Michigan State University has discovered that a notable percentage of adults in Michigan have decided not to have children — a choice researchers say mirrors a growing national trend.
“We found that 21.6% of adults, or about 1.7 million people, in Michigan do not want children and therefore are ‘childfree.’ That’s more than the population of Michigan’s nine largest cities,” says Zachary Neal, associate professor in Michigan State University’s psychology department and coauthor of the study.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, used three specific questions to identify individuals who are childfree, distinguishing them from parents and other nonparent groups. Researchers analyzed data from a representative sample of 1,500 adults who took part in the university’s State of the State Survey, conducted by the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research.
Since official statistics often fail to separate different types of nonparents, Neal explains that this study is among the first to specifically count adults who are intentionally childfree.
“People—especially women—who say they don’t want children are often told they’ll change their mind, but the study found otherwise,” says Jennifer Watling Neal, associate professor in the psychology department and coauthor of the study.
The findings show that many make the decision to be childfree early in life, commonly during their teens or twenties. “People are making the decision to be childfree early in life, most often in their teens and twenties. And, it’s not just young people claiming they don’t want children. Women who decided in their teens to be childfree are now, on average, nearly 40 and still do not have children.”
Although the research was focused on Michigan, the state’s demographic makeup is similar to that of the U.S. overall, according to the 2021 Census. Because of this, Neal says that if similar results are seen nationwide, it would mean between 50 and 60 million Americans are childfree.
“Following the US Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade, a large number of Americans are now at risk of being forced to have children despite not wanting them,” says Watling Neal. “If further precedents are overturned and birth control becomes harder to access, many young women who have decided to be childfree may also have difficulty avoiding pregnancy.”
With such a large segment of the population identifying as childfree, the researchers believe this group deserves more focus. They hope future studies will expand beyond Michigan to help the public understand both the reasons behind choosing to be childfree and the outcomes that come with that decision.
Source: Michigan State University
Original Study DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15728-z
