2025 American Family Survey: Economic Crisis and Online Protection for Children Define New Challenges for American Families

Seven in 10 Americans say raising children is now unaffordable; many express deep ambivalence about digital innovation 

PROVO, Utah, Nov. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- American families face an unprecedented convergence of challenges in 2025, with economic affordability emerging as the dominant challenge affecting family formation and size, according to the eleventh annual American Family Survey released today. Americans also continue to grapple with technology's rapid transformation of family life, expressing mixed feelings about digital innovation coupled with the overwhelming consensus that children need protection online. 

The survey, conducted by the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, the Deseret News and BYU's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, reveals that more than 70% of Americans now believe raising children is unaffordable — a staggering 20-point increase over the past decade and 13-point spike in just the last year alone.

This economic anxiety is fundamentally reshaping American family life. For the first time in the survey's history, Americans cite financial concerns as the primary reason they're limiting family size — twice as frequently as any other factor, including personal preference or lack of a supportive partner.

"The cost of family life is not just a culture war talking point. It is the defining challenge for American families," said Jeremy Pope, Professor of Political Science and a Wheatley Institution Fellow for Constitutional Government at Brigham Young University. "Nearly half of Americans rank family costs among their top three concerns, and when we include other economic worries like job scarcity and work stress, two-thirds identify economic factors as primary family challenges."

The Affordability Crisis Reshaping Family Decisions

The 2025 survey documents escalating financial challenges among American families:

• More than one-third of all Americans experienced an economic crisis in the past year, rising to 50% among the lowest income households.
• 39% of unmarried Americans reported experiencing at least one economic crisis in the past year, compared to 29% of married Americans.
• 86% express worry about inflation, with 53% "very worried," though partisan responses shift dramatically based on which party controls the White House.
• 43% of respondents cited "insufficient money" as their primary barrier to having children.
• Family financial stress has returned to pre-pandemic levels following the end of COVID-era support programs, with families — particularly those with children — remaining vulnerable to financial shocks.

Technology

Americans continue to grapple with technology's rapid transformation of family life. The 2025 survey reveals deep ambivalence about digital innovation coupled with the overwhelming consensus that children need protection online.

Americans strongly support sweeping new restrictions:

• 90% want phones banned from classrooms
• 80% demand social media companies disclose how they promote content to minors
• 79% support requiring parental consent before children can download social media apps
• 75% want age-gating for online pornography
• 75% support holding social media companies liable for harmful content recommended to minors
• 75% want minors' social media accounts kept private until age 18

"Americans are neither Luddites nor techno-enthusiasts, but many are unsettled about the effects of technology, particularly as the use of AI becomes more widespread," said Christopher Karpowitz, Co-Director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy and Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. "Here there is very little disagreement. The vast majority view online pornography as profoundly harmful to both young men and women and generally support increasing restrictions on technology for minors in multiple contexts."

Parents report feeling isolated in managing technology challenges:

• Almost 60% restrict both their children's screen time and content.
• Yet only 20% implement none of the surveyed restrictions.
• Nearly two-thirds of parents with children under 18 at home express a desire for other parents in their communities to set stricter limits on technology, and half say it would support their own efforts if other parents set clearer limits on screen time.
• At the same time, parents don't often speak with each other about managing kids and technology. Only 13% say they do this frequently, while 55% say they do it occasionally.
• When asked if they had ever changed screen time rules because of something another parent said or did, only 17% of parents said yes.

Marriage

• 35% of Americans agree that commitment is more important than marriage as an institution. Fewer recognize marriage's role in protecting families from poverty.
• A decreasing percentage of Americans recognize marriage's value in supporting strong families or financial stability. 61% of Republicans believe marriage is needed to create strong families vs. 19% of Democrats (down from 73% and 29% in 2018). 51% of Republicans believe marriage makes people better off financially vs. 25% of Democrats (down from 66% and 37% in 2018).
• Marriage is declining in popularity across both left and right political groups.
• Most Americans prefer aid to low-income parents not be contingent on marital status.
• Fewer than 10% of Americans agree that marriage is "old fashioned" or "more of a burden than a benefit."
• Republicans are more likely to be married at every age level before age 50.

Immigration

Immigration has emerged as a flashpoint issue in 2025, with the survey showing the strongest partisan divisions in its eleven-year history.

• More than half of Republicans (51%) favor deportation even if it separates parents from citizen children, compared to just 6% of Democrats.
• 87% of Democrats support birthright citizenship (70% strongly), versus 30% of Republicans (14% strongly).
• 53% of Hispanic Trump voters support birthright citizenship versus 76% of Hispanic non-Trump voters.
• Nearly half of Republicans (49%) chose limiting overall immigration as their only priority for immigration policy. For them, there seems to be no good form of immigration at all. By contrast, less than 1 in 10 Democrats (8%) selected limiting the flow of immigrants as their only priority.

Policy Consensus Amid Cultural Shifts

Despite partisan divisions on immigration, Americans across the political spectrum believe international trade benefits American families, suggesting economic anxiety doesn't translate uniformly into protectionist sentiment. Americans also show remarkable unity in supporting policies that address family affordability:

• Strong majorities favor universal daycare and increased child tax credits
• Half prefer an "all of the above" approach combining direct payments to parents with investments in programs and institutions
• Most oppose making aid contingent on parents' marital status

"A world where affordability is the key public concern is at risk of instability — politically, economically, or in the homes and neighborhoods where Americans live," said Karpowitz. "These incremental shifts, while gradual from an individual life-span perspective, can add up to profound changes over time."

Methodology

Between August 20-27, 2025, YouGov interviewed 3,267 respondents matched to a sample of 3,000. Respondents were matched on gender, age, race, and education, with weights post-stratified on 2024 presidential vote choice and demographics. The overall margin of error is +/- 2%.

To review the full 2025 American Family Survey, visit https://americanfamilysurvey.byu.edu/.

About the American Family Survey

The American Family Survey is an annual nationwide study that has monitored public opinion about families for over a decade, documenting both steady continuity and moments of significant change in attitudes about family life.

About the Wheatley Institute at BYU

Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University engages students, scholars, thought leaders, and the public in research supported work that fortifies the core institutions of the family, religion, and constitutional government.

About the BYU Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy

The Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy (CSED) at Brigham Young University is a nonpartisan academic research center seeking to increase knowledge about the practice of American democracy. CSED is committed to the production and dissemination of research that meets high academic standards, is useful to policy makers, and informs citizens.

About the Deseret News

The Deseret News is Utah's oldest newspaper and the Beehive state's longest continuously operating business. Its primary focus is digital and its reach is national and global with over half of online readers living outside of Utah.

SOURCE Wheatley Institute