Americans Say Kids Cost Too Much

A growing majority of Americans say the high cost of living is the main reason they're having fewer children, according to a nationwide survey. The latest American Family Survey, conducted by Brigham Young University's Wheatley Institute and Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, found that 70% of Americans believe raising children is too expensive—a spike of 13 percentage points over last year's figures, reports the Washington Post.

Earlier this year, Lending Tree estimated it costs nearly $300,000 to raise a child from infancy to age 18. For the first time in the survey's 11-year history, finances topped the list of reasons people are limiting (or intending to cap) the size of their families, cited two times as often as any other factor. The survey, which polled 3,000 people in August, highlights how economic concerns—from rising grocery bills to job insecurity—are reshaping family planning across the country.

The US birth rate remains historically low, at 1.6 children per woman in 2024, barely higher than 2023's record low. Affordability worries crossed political lines, though Democrats were more likely than Republicans or independents to cite money as a limiting factor. Still, majorities in all groups said they'd support a larger child tax credit, though Republicans were less supportive of other government assistance like universal day care or direct payments to parents.