Attitudes About Childlessness in the United States: Correlates of Positive, Neutral, and Negative Responses

The study used cross-sectional analyses of the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-1988, 1992-1994) to examine attitudes about childlessness in the United States. It (a) assesses prevalence of positive, neutral, and negative attitudes about childlessness and (b) identifies the correlate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2007-08, Vol.28 (8), p.1054-1082
Main Authors: Koropeckyj-Cox, Tanya, Pendell, Gretchen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Attitude Measures
Attitudes
Behavior Standards
Childlessness
Correlation
Family planning
Individual Characteristics
National Survey of Families and Households
National Surveys
Negative Attitudes
Positive Attitudes
Public opinion
Social Behavior
State Surveys
United States
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Summary:The study used cross-sectional analyses of the National Survey of Families and Households (1987-1988, 1992-1994) to examine attitudes about childlessness in the United States. It (a) assesses prevalence of positive, neutral, and negative attitudes about childlessness and (b) identifies the correlates of different attitudes in the population. About one fifth of adults disagreed with prescriptive norms that favor parenthood over childlessness, whereas two fifths gave neutral responses. More than 86% agreed or were neutral on whether childless adults could have fulfilling lives. Positive attitudes were consistently found among those who were female, college educated, or childless. Those with negative attitudes were distinct from those with neutral or positive attitudes and were more likely to be older, male, non-White, less educated, or have conservative religious beliefs, net of other factors. The authors argue attitudes reflect acceptance but not endorsement of childlessness, and substantial proportions of neutral responses merit closer examination.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X07301940