---
title: "Want to be Fathers"
description: "Fully 87% of men ages 15-44 who have no children say they want to have children at some point."
date: "2011-07-19"
authors:
  - name: "Russell Heimlich"
    job_title: "Former web developer"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/russell-heimlich/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2011/07/19/want-to-be-fathers/"
---

# Want to be Fathers

Nearly all young men who currently do not have children have the desire to become a father at some point in their lives. Fully 87% of childless men ages 15-44 say they want to have a child. Still, only about 82% of those males intended to have children. The discrepancy between these two statistics points to the fact that about 6% of childless men want children but are not expecting to ever have them. This is especially evident among childless men ages 40-44. Among this group, about half (51%) report that they want children, however, some 18% are not expecting to ever have children, despite their desire to do so. Despite the strong desire to have children among childless men, only 8% of this group say people cannot be happy unless they have children. Even among fathers, only a small minority (14%) agree that children are necessary in order to be happy. [Read More](https://www.pewresearch.org/pubs/2026/survey-role-of-fathers-fatherhood-american-family-living-apart-from-children)