Only roughly 1 in 5 childless adults say they'll have children, survey finds
CTV
New data from the Angus Reid Institute shows that only one in five childless adults 50 or younger are confident they will have children.
New data from the Angus Reid Institute (ARI) shows that only roughly one in five childless adults 50 or younger are confident they will have children.
The survey of 1,300 Canadians found that 21 per cent indicated definite plans to have children, with another one in three (32 per cent) saying they may do so. Meanwhile, 37 per cent of the sample were sure they wouldn't have children.
Among the "yes" or "maybe" groups, approximately half say they have delayed the decision, with 40 per cent saying they hadn't yet found the right partner, another 41 per cent blaming financial or career insecurity and roughly one-third each pointing to child-care costs or accessibility and the ongoing crisis in affordable housing.
Affordability concerns were also common among those who said they wouldn't have children, with one in four pointing to child-care costs and 18 per cent doubting they would have suitable housing for a family.
That said, the most common reason against having children, the survey found, was simple non-interest: two in three respondents who planned to remain childless said it just wasn't for them.
Thursday's ARI release notes that last year brought the second consecutive all-time low for Canada's birth rate, at 1.26 and 1.33 children per woman in 2023 and 2022, respectively.
In addition, according to data from Statistics Canada, the national population aged 65 and above is growing six times faster than those under 15.
