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A new study of survey data suggests that having kids can increase the happiness and well-being that adults experience. The report comes as record low birth rates continue to occur in the United States and in other developed nations across the globe.

The analysis, conducted by Research Fellow Ken Burchfiel at the Institute for Family Studies, looked at data from the 2021 American Time Use Survey (ATUS) of U.S. adults aged 25 to 50. Burchfiel found that “In general, activities with children score highest on well-being.

“For instance, 56% of activity time receives the highest meaningfulness rating when children are present, whereas only 37% of time spent with other individuals does. Similarly, respondents are more likely to assign the highest happiness rating to time spent on activities with their kids (44%) than without (25%).”

The study further found that respondents rated their experiences of eating, socialising, and doing household activities as more enjoyable when their kids were present. Burchfiel also found that, just as parenthood is generally associated with having “greater meaning in life,” respondents said that their experiences of travelling, dining, socialising, and performing household activities are more meaningful when done with their kids.

In addition, Burchfiel noted that respondents reported that time spent with their children was equally if not more likely to produce a high level of happiness and meaningfulness than time spent with their spouse. “In other words,” he observed, “even if parents are not able to get as much couple time in as before having kids, the gift of time with their kids may more than compensate.”

Childfree

The findings come as more and more American couples appear to be eschewing having children. Last April, the National Center for Health Statistics reported that the U.S. fertility rate in 2023 (from the most current available data) had dropped to another historic low. The drop reflects a general pattern of rapidly dropping birth rates across Europe and Asia, with countries like Italy, Spain, Poland, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan having some of the lowest birth rates in the world.

A recent Wall Street Journal report from South Korea found that even programs that offer tens of thousands of dollars in government and corporate handouts to incentivise marriage and having children have done little to raise the country’s birthrate of 0.75 births per woman, “about a third of the figure needed to keep the population level stable.” Many adults in their 30s reported prioritising their careers over marriage and starting a family.

As noted by Burchfiel, popular culture in America has similarly dismissed children, from articles enthusing the benefits of “the childfree life” to “childfree advocates on social media” and popular movies.

Love and Joy

But experts like Family Research Council Senior Fellow Meg Kilgannon say that couples need not fear children, especially with social science data to back up the benefits of becoming parents.

“This study ‘proves’ that children are a blessing,” she told The Washington Stand.

“As mere mortals, we are often afraid of the unknown, even though God tells us over and over to ‘Be not afraid.’ This is true as couples contemplate becoming parents. We can easily see the future bills and sleepless nights. But we sometimes fail to expect the amazing love and exponentially expansive joy that children bring not just to us but to the world. It’s great to have a study to support parenting and family life. We can pray that for people grounded in faith, we can embrace God’s plan for marriage which is for children and abundant life.”

Mary Szoch, director of the Center for Human Dignity at FRC, echoed the sentiment.

“Anyone who has been around a child at Christmas will not be surprised that having children increases levels of well-being,” she told TWS.

“Children bring light and joy to every situation — even sad ones or hard ones. Children cause us to focus on something other than ourselves, and when we do, life is ultimately much more enjoyable. Our culture tells us to put ourselves first, but the truth is when you put your own needs second to someone else’s needs, you find you don’t ‘need’ nearly as much and life is much more enjoyable. I hope that this study will encourage people to have more children.”