Young Americans say parenthood now feels like a choice between family and financial security
For a prominent number of young Americans, the decision of whether to have children is just as much financial as it is personal.
New research from Intuit Credit Karma, conducted by The Harris Poll in April 2026, surveyed 629 U.S. adults ages 18-45, who don’t want to have any children or more children, or are unsure if they want to. The research shows that 54% of Gen Z (ages 18-29) and 50% of millennials (ages 30-45) surveyed feel pressure to choose between their own financial security and having any or more children.
That pressure is intensified 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 feels financially out of reach for someone in their financial situation. And many don’t expect conditions to improve anytime soon. Nearly three-quarters (71%) say the economy will not be stable enough for them to comfortably start or grow a family within the next five years.
As this article from Credit Karma explores, for many young Americans, those concerns translate into delayed or reconsidered family plans. Just over 6 in 10 (61%) Gen Z and millennials combined say finances have influenced their decision to delay, limit, or reconsider having children. Rising everyday expenses appear to be at the center of that decision, with the cost of living (33%) and childcare (26%) emerging as the most commonly cited financial barriers.
Childcare, in particular, continues to weigh heavily on family planning decisions. More than a third (36%) of Gen Z and millennials combined say that if childcare were more affordable or subsidized, they’d seriously reconsider having children or expanding their family.
The top financial factors influencing decisions on having any children or more children include:
It’s not just about money
According to the research, finances dominate, but they are not the only factor also shaping family planning decisions. A quarter (25%) of Gen Z and millennials combined say they value their current lifestyle, and more than 1 in 5 (22%) express concerns about the kind of world their child would grow up in. Other factors include feeling too old (21%), particularly for millennials (31%) compared to 4% of Gen Z, not having a partner or the right partner (17%), health issues (13%), climate change/environmental concerns (10%) and simply not wanting children (10%).
When asked to weigh the two, 44% say that financial concerns and the current state of the world are equally responsible for their decision to not have children or not to have more children.
“Deciding whether to have children has become closely tied to financial security for many young Americans,” said Courtney Alev, consumer financial advocate at Intuit Credit Karma. “We’re seeing people weigh their long-term financial stability against major life decisions in a way that previous generations may not have had to.”
Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of Credit Karma from April 9-13, 2026, among 629 U.S. adults ages 18-45 who don’t want to have any/more children or are unsure if they want to (referred to as Gen Z and millennials). The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/- 4.9 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. This credible interval will be wider among subsets of the surveyed population of interest.
This story was produced by Credit Karma and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
