# New Survey of 10,000 People: Friends, Pets and Anxiety Predict Family Size More Than Chores, Report Says

A report from the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute points to culture over housing costs or housework. Fox News Digital spoke with its lead researcher.

- Section: [Culture](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/culture/)
- Published: 2026-11-01
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/why-people-stopped-having-kids-institute-for-family-studies-wheatley-survey-friends-pet-parenting-fox-news/

High housing costs and unequal chore loads may not fully explain falling birth rates, according to a new report from the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute, Fox News reports. The survey covered nearly 10,000 people in more than a dozen countries and points to culture.

Chores. The report tested whether sharing housework changes fertility intentions and found no statistically significant relationship with either the division of chores or perceptions of fairness. Lyman Stone, who directs the Pronatalism Initiative at the institute, told Fox: "The last 30 years have seen a revolution in involved fatherhood. Dads are doing more at home than ever before and fertility rates keep plummeting."

Friends. One of the strongest links was with a supportive circle. Believing friends would celebrate a new baby was tied to a 10% increase in desired family size and a 20% higher likelihood of intending another child. People who admired a celebrity with more children than they had were 14% more likely to intend another.

Pets. Respondents who said they would rather be a "pet parent" reported a 30% lower desired family size and a 50% drop in intentions to have more children. Stone said: "The animal is not the problem. The problem is the attitude."

Outlook. Risk aversion, anxiety about the future and pessimism were tied to smaller desired families. Stone said some of the decline may be "bad vibes." Parental encouragement was tied to an 11% increase in desired children and a 30% increase in the likelihood of intending another. Encouraging cohabiting, childless adult children to marry was tied to a 14% higher likelihood of intending a child.

What to keep in mind. These are survey associations, not proof of cause, and the quotes come from a researcher at one of the groups that wrote the report. Fox's account does not list which countries were surveyed or how respondents were chosen.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/media/why-people-really-stopped-having-kids-new-study-uncovers-surprising-reasons-families-shrinking)