2 is the magic number
Published
Many of us already suspected it – but new research from UK baby retailer Online4Baby seems to confirm it. When it comes to the perfect number of kids for a happy life, two is the dream for UK adults. The research revealed that half of UK parents believe two is the perfect number, with one in five parents citing financial concerns for not having a further baby.
The biggest motivator for taking the plunge again is wanting an existing child to have a sibling, and Gen Z are the parents who are most concerned about the environmental impact of having an extra member of the family. Only 2.5 per cent of parents say sleep deprivation is a factor in their decision.
Dr Andrea Shortland and Dr Jocelyne Kenny from The Pocket Family Psychologist put the findings in context: ‘They reflect the idea that family happiness often depends, in part, on how well “resourced” a family is. This includes finances, but also living space, sleep, personal careers and so on.’ Amidst rising inflation, growing childcare costs and an unstable economy, it’s no surprise that one in five adults (20 per cent) is put off from bringing another life into the world.
Online4Baby say: ‘From our research, we found that 70 per cent of UK parents would cite their happiness levels as either happy or very happy. But we’ve also seen that money still plays a major role in dictating family size and that some parents are choosing to have fewer children than they’d like because of financial considerations.’
Visit www.pocketfamilypsychologist.com and www.online4baby.com
