A new report from the Institute for Family Studies reveals a clear and growing ideological divide in American fertility rates, with conservatives averaging significantly more children than liberals.
According to the survey of more than 7,000 Americans ages 18 to 54, conservatives report an average of 1.4 children while liberals report just 1.09.
Fifty-one percent of liberals say they have no children at all, compared with 40 percent of conservatives.
The gap remains statistically significant when researchers account for sex, religion, race, income, age, marital status, and education, underscoring that political ideology itself is strongly associated with family decisions.
Liberals are far more likely to cite mental health concerns, worries about passing on bad genetics, and the perceived stress of parenting as reasons for avoiding having babies.
Eighteen percent of liberals listed mental health as a barrier, compared with only 10 percent of conservatives.
The 18 percent of liberals who were uncertain whether they would be good parents were double the 9 percent of conservatives who felt that way.
IFS reports:
In summary, mental health worries, like genetic concerns and parenting fears, are correlated with lower fertility—and are also more prevalent among liberals than conservatives. Looking at both variables, there is a consistent trend: increased anxiety and worries are correlated with having fewer children. In addition to this finding, liberals are more likely to have these anxieties than conservatives. This could help bring to light the reasoning that liberals might give for why they are having fewer children or no children at all. It could also provide insight into some of the factors that influence their fertility decisions.
Thirty-six percent of liberals described parenting as “very complicated, difficult, and stressful,” versus 24 percent of conservatives.
When asked about ideal family size, conservatives preferred 2.71 children on average, moderates 2.43, and liberals just 2.16.
Researchers noted that this partisan fertility gap has widened since 1994, making the current divide a relatively recent phenomenon.
The Trump administration has pushed pro-family policies, including new savings accounts for supporting children. Vice President JD Vance and his wife have welcomed a fourth child while in office, and other administration figures, including former Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, have publicly prioritized having and raising children.
By contrast, high-profile progressive voices, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, have highlighted egg freezing, abortion, and delayed parenthood.
The Institute for Family Studies data suggests that differing attitudes toward the demands and rewards of raising children are translating into real demographic outcomes that could shape the country’s political and cultural future for decades.
Ad block users: Some site features may not work correctly while an ad blocker is enabled, because they break scripts and content this website depends on. If you can’t see comments below, for example, please disable your ad blocker.