69% of young adults say marriage and parenthood is in their future

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Today’s young adults are reaching key milestones like marriage and parenthood later in life than their parents’ generation did. Still, most Americans ages 18 to 34 who’ve never been married say they’d like to marry someday. And about half of young adults in that age group who don’t have children say they’d like to be parents eventually.

Among adults ages 18 to 34, 69% of those who have never been married say they want to get married one day. About a quarter (23%) say they’re not sure, and 8% say they don’t want to get married. Men and women are about equally likely to say they want to get married.

When asked about having children, 51% of young adults who are not parents say they would like to have children one day. Three-in-ten say they’re not sure, and 18% say they don’t want to have children.

While 57% of young men say they want children one day, a smaller share of young women (45%) say the same.

Do young adults feel pressured by their parents to get married or have children?
Most young adults say they don’t feel pressure from their parents to get married. Among those who’ve never been married, 73% say they don’t feel much or any pressure from their parents to do so. Another 15% say they feel some pressure, and 12% say they feel a great deal or a fair amount of pressure.

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