Name: Climate anxiety is shaping how young Americans think about having kids
Uploaded: 2025-12-30T01:25:15.648Z
Duration: 2 min 49 s
Description: Some young adults say their considering climate change and the future when deciding whether or not to have children. David Schechter reports.

Some young adults say their considering climate change and the future when deciding whether or not to have children. David Schechter reports.

New Jersey

Concerns about climate change are increasingly influencing how young Americans think about starting families. While a recent study found that over half of Americans aged 16 to 25 are hesitant to have children due to climate concerns, data indicates that economic issues and delayed pregnancies are the primary reasons for the country's record low fertility rate.

Interviews with students and experts reveal a range of perspectives, from anxiety about the future to optimism about technological solutions. Many young people are seeking more nuanced and hopeful narratives about the future, rather than focusing solely on doom and gloom scenarios.

Climate anxiety is shaping how young Americans think about having kids

There's a lot of concern in this country about climate change and its impact, particularly with some young adults who say it's a consideration when deciding whether or not to have children. National environmental correspondent David Schechter has tonight's Eye on America. You might remember growing up feeling anxious about threats to our country like nuclear war or 9-11. Is that really a situation you want to put your kids in? What many of today's youth worry about is climate change, such as Jordan Crumpton, a junior at Northwestern University. You want what's best for your kids and for them to live a happy and healthy life. And you're concerned that they won't? I'm concerned that the direction we're moving, they won't be able to. A study released last year found 52 percent of young Americans aged 16 to 25 were hesitant to have children because of climate change concerns. But while the U.S. reached a record low fertility rate last year, data shows that is driven by economic concerns and women waiting to get pregnant later in life, not by climate change. We have college branches. We have young professional branches. Alina Voss in Columbus, Ohio, works for an environmental nonprofit that promotes conservative values. The innovation is working. She is optimistic about the future, believing technology will protect families from the worst impacts of climate change. We definitely are heading to a world that has more drought, more fire, more flood. Isn't that a world that's not as good as the one that previous generations had? I don't think it's a reason for the next generation not to exist. At Northwestern, student Zia Robbins doesn't know what the future will look like, but says that won't stop her from having a family. I don't think that we're going to solve this issue. And I think that a responsibility for me is going to be raising a child who's conscious of the environment. They do not see it in terms of kind of an apocalyptic scenario. Assistant Professor Sarah Dimmick teaches about how authors write about climate change. And what she's seeing are students who have lived with the impacts of wildfire smoke and intense storms, which gives them a more nuanced view of what's happening to the planet with less doom. Which I think is too easy of a story. What does that mean, too easy of a story? Everyone dies. There's a lot of doom and gloom at the close. And I think students right now are really trying to think through what sorts of stories or narratives can give us more traction than just utter demise. Climate change may indeed make many young people anxious. We need to be more aware of just kind of the overall landscape and how our choices are impacting everyone. But to say that fear will keep them from starting families paints an entire generation with too broad a brush. For Eye on America, I'm David Schechter in Evanston, Illinois.

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