A new study finds that overconsumption, overpopulation and uncertainty about the future are among the top concerns of those who say climate change is affecting their reproductive decision-making.

Sabrina Helm, an associate professor in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is lead author of a new peer-reviewed study that looks at how climate change is affecting people’s decisions about whether to have children.

«For many people, the question of whether to have children or not is one of the biggest they will face in their lives,» Helm said. «If you are worried about what the future will look like because of climate change, obviously it will impact how you view this very important decision in your life.»

Helm and her collaborators wanted to better understand the specific climate change-related reasons people have for not wanting to have children. They started by analyzing online comments posted in response to news articles written about the growing trend of people forgoing having children due to climate change concerns.

They then sought out adults ages 18 to 35 who said climate change plays an important role in their reproductive decision-making. They interviewed 24 participants about their concerns.

The researchers’ findings, published in the journal Population and Environment, identify three major themes that emerged in both the online comments and the interviews.

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Materials provided by University of Arizona. Original written by Alexis Blue. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.