Americans Want Larger Families, Even as Birth Rate Falls to Historic Low: Poll

Even as the U.S. birth rate hits a record low, Americans continue to say they want more children than they are having.

A new Gallup poll finds the average desired family size at 2.7 children, well above the nation’s fertility rate of 1.6 births per woman.

The findings highlight a widening gap between Americans’ family aspirations and reality. Demographers note the U.S. needs a rate of 2.1 children per woman to maintain its population, a threshold missed for decades.

Economic and Cultural Challenges

The shortfall points to economic and cultural headwinds — from housing and childcare costs to delayed marriage — that appear to hold families back from meeting their own expectations.

Since Gallup began measuring family ideals in 1936, preferences have shifted with the times. Back then, Ame