Roughly a quarter of Americans say they're childfree by choice
Core finding
About a quarter of Americans (23%) say they are childfree, meaning they are not raising and have never raised children and do not want any in the future, according to a May 2026 Verasight survey.
A majority (59%) are raising or have raised children, while roughly one-in-ten (10%) have none yet but want them someday and 8% are unsure whether they do.
Topline distribution
Roughly a quarter of Americans say they're childfree by choice.
Are you childfree? Childfree people are people who are not raising and have never raised children - whether biological, adopted, or step - and do not want to have any in the future.
n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
Methodology
Full 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 | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| Module | identity |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
Are you childfree? Childfree people are people who are not raising and have never raised children - whether biological, adopted, or step - and do not want to have any in the future.
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.