Almost one-fifth of adults aged between 28 and 43 have decided to reduce the number of kids they plan on having due to the environmental crisis.
According to the National Home Energy Survey, conducted by the Eco Experts, 43% of Millennials now want smaller families because of climate change.
The generation born between 1981 and 1996 currently accounts for the vast majority of UK adults of child-bearing age, making the findings particularly concerning as the birthrate in England and Wales falls to an all-time low of 1.49. Meanwhile, the global Total Fertility Rate has halved in the past 70 years, to just 2.2 children per woman.
Economic uncertainties, including a lack of affordable housing and career instability, are thought to have contributed to the decision. However, respondents who said they wanted less children emphasised concerns about future conditions on Earth, including extreme weather events.
‘It’s hard to look at the world today and not feel a deep sense of responsibility for what future generations will face. The idea of bringing a child into a world of rising sea levels, food shortages, and environmental collapse weighs heavily on me,’ said Millennial Natasha Willett. ‘It’s not just an abstract issue – it feels very real when you think about the kind of life your children might have.
‘I want to be sure I’m not contributing to a future I’m not certain I can promise will be safe. And, like many others, the soaring cost of living and economic challenges make it even harder to justify starting a family,’ she continued. ‘The decision to have children used to be simpler for previous generations, but for us, it’s tied to a much broader, more unsettling picture of what the world will look like in the coming decades. It feels like we’re being forced to choose between personal dreams and global responsibility.’
More climate change: