1 in 4 adults cite climate change in decision not to have children

Roughly a quarter of childless adults say climate change is a factor in their decision not to have children, according to a Monday poll from Morning Consult.

Eleven percent of those surveyed said climate change was a major reason they would not have children, while 15 percent said it was a minor reason.

Climate change rated behind other issues such as the economy, general political concerns, and career plans when it came to the decision to reproduce, but the poll shows the existential threat is weighing on people’s minds when it comes to family planning.

Those figures were starker for minorities, with 40 percent of Hispanic and 30 percent of Black respondents saying climate change factored into their decision compared to 23 percent of white respondents. 

Younger respondents also reported climate change weighed more heavily on their decision, with 37 percent of Generation Z and 34 percent of millennials saying climate change was either a major or minor factor in their decision to have children. 

The poll was conducted with 2,201 respondents and has a 2 percent margin of error.