The grass might actually be greener on the other side.
According to a recent study, more and more Americans are opting for what many call a peaceful and quiet childless life.
A team of researchers from Michigan State University discovered that the number of people in the US deliberately choosing not to have children has doubled within the last two decades.
Prior research hinted that many Americans are opting for a childfree life — however, “These new results confirm this is part of a nationwide trend that has been unfolding for over 20 years,” said Zachary Neal, MSU professor of psychology and co-author of the study.
According to the team’s findings, the percentage of nonparents who don’t want to bring children into this world rose from 14% in 2002 to 29% in 2023.
“During the same period, the percentage of nonparents who plan to have children in the future fell from 79% to 59%,” said Jennifer Watling Neal, professor in MSU’s psychology department and co-author of the study.
The research didn’t state the specific reasons as to why Americans don’t want kids — but based on things like the state of the world, the fickle economy and the desire for a life of freedom — there is probably a slew of reasons why adults don’t want to procreate.
And people are not shy when it comes to posting on social media about their decision to live this lifestyle.
Content creator Danni Duncan has several videos on her TikTok page regarding the topic.
In one video captioned, “Just a childhood free girlie morning,” many people in the comment section either agreed with her lifestyle or envied it.
“The quiet…the peace…ugh I love this. Thank you for this it’s so affirming. childfree for life,” one person wrote.
“As someone in the trenches with a toddler I gotta say I love living vicariously through this kind of content. Your mornings look so peaceful,” shared a commenter.
“Look at all of the lovely things she can have at waist height because she doesn’t have to worry about sticky jam hands,” one parent pointed out.
While Duncan received positive feedback —for the most part — on her decision not to have kids, others faced backlash for it.
A New Yorker named Natalie faced intense criticism online as people called her “selfish” for not bearing children.
“I hear the question, ‘Who’s going to take care of you when you’re older?’ a lot. I don’t agree with that,” the 38-year-old paralegal told Newsweek.
“You shouldn’t have kids just to ensure someone will take care of you later in life, that’s a huge burden to place on them. It’s important to make decisions based on what’s best for your life, not out of fear of the future,” the millennial said in the interview.
