Financial Insecurity Blocks Young Adults' Family Dreams, UNFPA Survey Finds | United Nations

Young adults want relationships, children and hopeful futures — but financial and job insecurity are standing in the way, new UNFPA survey finds.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Diene Keita briefed reporters today (8 Jul) on the launch of UNFPA's new global report on the findings of Demographic Futures Survey.

The new UNFPA survey of more than 108,000 internet-connected young adults across 73 countries and territories offers a revealing insight into what young people today want regarding relationships, children and the future — and what they feel is standing in the way. The results of UNFPA’s Demographic Futures Survey are published today in its report Lives, Choices and Futures: What young people want and what shapes their decisions about relationships and parenthood.

Keita said, “the findings are striking. Most young people aspire to partnership and parenthood, but many do not feel the conditions are in place to achieve these goals. Economic and housing constraints were the most commonly cited barriers to both partnership and having children.”

The UNFPA chief also said, “some people have suggested that younger generation are rejecting marriage and family life. But our data shows this is simply not true,” explaining that “two thirds of the respondents say their ideal relationship involves marriage. Yet among those aged between 25 and 39 who want to have a partner, one quarter are single and not dating. Most respondents said they want to have children with two children the most commonly reported ideal family size.”

Financial security topped the list of condition young adults say they need to feel ready for parenthood, the Executive Director said.

She continued, “this was cited as important by 88 of the respondents. Stable employment followed closely at 87 percent and emotional readiness at 85 percent.”

“They are asking for the condition that would make real choice possible: decent work, affordable housing, health care, sexual and positive health services, child care support, parental leave and gender equality at work and at home,” Keita added.

Executive Director emphasized, “it is uncertainty, not unwillingness, that is making young people question whether they can start a family. And that uncertainty is not only economic. For many young people, conflict and insecurity also shape whether the futures feel safe enough to plan for a family and that distinction matter. If we misread the problem, we risk designing the wrong solution.”

She also said, “although it is clear that young people are worried, but they are not without hope. Two thirds of the respondents say they feel positive about the future, even as conflict, economic insecurity and inequality ranked among the top concerns.”

The UNFPA chief reiterated, “the right based response to demographic change is about ensuring every person has the agency the support and opportunity to make some of the most intimate and consequential decision of their lives, and that drives the work we do in helping government strengthen population data, understanding the demographic trends and development data based population policy that uphold rights and expand choice.”

She added, “all these issues are deeply, deeply political. This is precisely why open evidence-based dialog is so important.”