Money is main reason for not having kids, study says

Nearly half of British adults are putting off or deciding against having children, with money worries a top factor, a stark new poll reveals.

- By ALICJA HAGOPIAN, DATA CORRESPONDENT

A survey of 18- to 50-year-olds from pollsters Ipsos, shared exclusively with The Independent, shows that 44 per cent of adults plan to delay having children, or are deciding against it altogether – with the cost of raising children, including food, clothing and education, cited as the most common reason (39 per cent).

And a third of prospective parents said they were put off by the cost of childcare in the UK – despite the government's rollout of extended free nursery hours.

While a third of respondents said they weren't having children because they simply didn't want to, others said they were put off by fears over climate change, with worries over how global warming will affect their child's future, and how having children may harm the environment.

The poll comes as birth rates in England and Wales are at their lowest rate on record, and as deaths are expected to consistently outnumber births in the UK from 2030.

Michael Farmer, a vocal supporter of family stability, criticised the systemic issues underlying low birth rates and argued that parents needed more financial support.

“The UK’s tax system discourages childbearing; it is one of the least family-friendly in the OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development]. No allowances are made for dependents, so our tax system also disadvantages single parents. The current level of marriage allowance gives scant recognition of low-earning or non-earning second parents,” he said in a House of Lords debate in November.