# Few Americans say raising young kids is more trouble than it's worth

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/culture/few-americans-say-raising-young-kids-is-more-trouble-than-its-worth/

> Indexed question in Culture.

## Reading

Verasight surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from August 13 to 18, 2026. The rewards of parenting young children outweigh the challenges for 43.4% of Americans. Just 7.3% say the challenges win out, and 16.9% call it even.

Rewards greatly outweigh challenges for 34.7%. The shares cover all adults, including the 32.4% without children.

## Topline

Thinking about your life overall, do the rewards of parenting young children outweigh the challenges, do the challenges outweigh the rewards, or are they about equal?

Few Americans say raising young kids is more trouble than it's worth.

Net findings combine adjacent response options from the same scale.

- Rewards greatly outweigh challenges: 34.7%
- I don’t have children: 32.4%
- About equal: 16.9%
- Rewards somewhat outweigh challenges: 8.7%
- Challenges somewhat outweigh rewards: 4.2%
- Challenges greatly outweigh rewards: 3.1%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2026-08-13 → 2026-08-18
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.2%
- Module: Verasight JSM and Quirk's Omnibus Survey
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/jsm-quirks-2026#q-2](https://reports.verasight.io/r/jsm-quirks-2026#q-2)

## Citation

JSM and Quirk's Omnibus Survey, fielded August 13-18, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/jsm-quirks-2026#q-2](https://reports.verasight.io/r/jsm-quirks-2026#q-2)