Penyesalan bertindak vs. tidak bertindak

Berharap anak lebih sedikit vs. berharap anak lebih banyak

Jika Anda bertindak

Punya lebih banyak anak (menyesal ingin lebih sedikit)

14%

Jika Anda tidak bertindak

Tidak punya anak lagi (menyesal ingin lebih banyak)

37%

Persentase orang yang kemudian menyesali setiap pilihan. Diagram batang dan catatan lengkap ditampilkan di bawah.

Family

Terakhir ditinjau 2026-04-25

Kualitas bukti 4.38/5

Skor tinjauan delapan dimensi terhadap rubrik kualitas . Setiap dimensi dinilai 1–5.

D1 Verifikasi sumber: 5/5
D2 Otoritas & independensi sumber: 4/5
D3 Akurasi tingkat penyesalan: 3/5
D4 Keterbandingan sumber: 3/5
D5 Pola Gilovich: 5/5
D6 Kualitas prosa: 5/5
D7 Kelengkapan peringatan: 5/5
D8 Kualitas sampel: 5/5

Rata-rata 4.38/5

A row of small houses, some with lights on and some dark, stretching along a quiet street.

Penyesalan atas tindakan

Punya lebih banyak anak (menyesal ingin lebih sedikit)

14%

14% orang tua berharap mereka memiliki lebih sedikit anak

Orang dewasa AS dengan anak, representatif nasional

retrospektif, tidak ada kerangka waktu tetap

Penyesalan atas kelambanan

Tidak punya anak lagi (menyesal ingin lebih banyak)

37%

37% orang dewasa AS berharap mereka memiliki lebih banyak anak

Orang dewasa AS (orang tua dan bukan orang tua), representatif nasional

retrospektif, tidak ada kerangka waktu tetap

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Punya lebih banyak anak (menyesal ingin lebih sedikit) Tidak punya anak lagi (menyesal ingin lebih banyak)

14% 37%

inaction dominates — Tidak bertindak mendominasi — sebagian besar menyesali karena tidak bertindak.

Keputusan terkait

Keputusan yang serupa secara semantik — area yang sama, kompromi yang berbeda.

family

Satu anak lagi vs. berhenti

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Punya anak lagiBerhenti di jumlah anak saat ini

14%37%

Ketidakaktifan mendominasi

Penyesalan tidak bertindak 2.6× lebih tinggi

family

Swasta vs negeri

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Sekolah swastaSekolah negeri

13%41%

Ketidakaktifan mendominasi

Penyesalan tidak bertindak 3.2× lebih tinggi

family

Di rumah vs bekerja

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Tinggal di rumahBekerja sambil mengasuh

64%50%

Tindakan mendominasi

Penyesalan bertindak 1.3× lebih tinggi

family

Memiliki anak

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Punya anakTidak punya anak

8,0%7,0%

Seimbang

Hampir seimbang

family

Menolong vs. biarkan mandiri

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Turun tangan menyelamatkan / cepat mengalahMenahan diri / tidak cukup mendorong anak

35%30%

Tindakan mendominasi

Penyesalan bertindak 1.2× lebih tinggi

family

Cuti ayah vs. melewatkan

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Mengambil cuti ayah penuhKembali bekerja dalam dua pekan setelah kelahiran

13%59%

Ketidakaktifan mendominasi

Penyesalan tidak bertindak 4.5× lebih tinggi

family

Disiplin vs. permisif

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Disiplin konsisten dan penetapan batasPengasuhan permisif / minim koreksi

11%26%

Ketidakaktifan mendominasi

Penyesalan tidak bertindak 2.4× lebih tinggi

family

Makan bersama keluarga

% menyesal dengan pilihan ini

Makan bersama keluarga secara rutinMakan terpisah/terburu-buru

9,0%62%

Ketidakaktifan mendominasi

Penyesalan tidak bertindak 6.9× lebih tinggi

Risiko Pengasuhan lainnya: ASI vs susu formula Tonsilektomi vs. menunggu dengan pengawasan Keputusan khitan Alkohol terawasi untuk remaja vs. larangan Disiplin vs. permisif +18 lainnya

Risiko Keluarga lainnya: Keputusan aborsi Disiplin vs. permisif Perceraian Keterasingan keluarga Makan bersama keluarga +17 lainnya

The Institute for Family Studies surveyed 1,518 US adults in 2021 and found a clear asymmetry in fertility regret. 37% of all US adults wish they had more children than they currently have, including both parents who want additional children (24%) and childless adults who want to start (13%). On the other side, only 14% of parents wish they had fewer children. The desire for more consistently outweighs the desire for fewer, roughly two-to-one.

This asymmetry aligns with Gilovich and Medvec’s prediction that inaction regrets dominate over time. The gap between desired and actual fertility has been a persistent structural feature of US demography for decades, and IFS trend data shows it is widening: the share of Americans who say the ideal family size is three or more children recently hit a 50-year high. People are not adjusting their preferences downward to match their behavior — they continue to wish for more even as birth rates fall.

The comparison is imperfect in several ways. “Wishing for more” is not the same as regretting a specific past decision — it may reflect wistfulness about circumstances (finances, partner, timing) rather than decisional regret. The populations are also not cleanly symmetric: the 14% is measured among parents, while the 37% includes childless adults. And the largest confound is involuntariness: many people who want more children face fertility limitations, financial barriers, or partner disagreement, making the “inaction” label somewhat misleading. They did not choose fewer children — they ended up with fewer.

A complementary signal from the children themselves: a YouGov poll of 2,000 US adults (October 2023) found that 66% of adults who grew up as only children wish they had had at least one sibling, against 34% who were satisfied with the arrangement. The child’s sibling-wish rate (66%) runs nearly double the parent’s wish-for-more rate (37%), a gap that hints at a systematic blind spot: parents may underestimate how much their child will want a sibling, while the child feels the absence as an adult. These are different populations answering different questions, not directly comparable rates, but the directional divergence is worth registering.

Sumber: tindakan

Buku besar klaim

Setiap angka di bawah ini adalah apa yang dilaporkan masing-masing sumber, dengan kutipan kata demi kata yang kami andalkan dan bagaimana kami sampai pada angka kami. Klik tautan mana saja untuk memverifikasi langsung.

1/2 sumber diverifikasi secara independen kata demi kata terhadap sumber terkutip

[1] Institute for Family Studies / Stone — To Have Kids or Not: Which Decision Do Americans Regret More? ↗ 1 other entry Sumber referensi

To Have Kids or Not: Which Decision Do Americans Regret More?
See all 2 Likelier entries citing this source →

Statistik

14% of people with children agreed 'I wish I had had fewer children' (10% of all US adults)

Kutipan

“"Just 14% of people with children agreed with the statement 'I wish I had had fewer children' (which equals 10% of all adults). The vast majority of people want to have children and more than a third wish they had more." ”

Data sumber dari

2021-12-08

Diakses

2026-04-25

Perhitungan

Data from the second wave of the US Adult Sexual Behaviors and Attitudes Study, fielded March 2021 (n=1,518). The 14% is among parents specifically. We use 0.14 as the regret_rate for the action side (having had too many).
[2] Pew Research Center — The Experiences of U.S. Adults Who Don't Have Children Terverifikasi ↗ 2 other entries Sumber referensi

The Experiences of U.S. Adults Who Don't Have Children
See all 3 Likelier entries citing this source →

Statistik

Among adults 50+ without children, 38% say there was a time they wanted children; broader context for fertility preference gaps

Kutipan

“"Among adults ages 50 and older who don't have children, 38% say there was a time when they wanted to have children. About three-in-ten (32%) say they never wanted children." ”

Data sumber dari

2024-07-25

Diakses

2026-04-25

Verifikasi

Kutipan diambil ulang secara independen dan dikonfirmasi kata demi kata terhadap sumber terkutip selama audit pendasaran kami.

Perhitungan

Pew data provides cross-validation for the IFS survey. The 38% who once wanted children among the childless represents a ceiling for wish-for-more regret. Used as contextual support, not as the primary figure.

Sumber: tidak bertindak

Buku besar klaim

1/2 sumber diverifikasi secara independen kata demi kata terhadap sumber terkutip

[1] Institute for Family Studies / Stone — To Have Kids or Not: Which Decision Do Americans Regret More? Terverifikasi ↗ 1 other entry Sumber referensi

To Have Kids or Not: Which Decision Do Americans Regret More?
See all 2 Likelier entries citing this source →

Statistik

37% of US adults wish they had more children than they currently have (including 24% who are parents and want more, plus 13% who are childless and want children)

Kutipan

“"34% have children and are happy with the number they have ... Another third—the largest group—wish they had more (37%), whether currently parents or not." ”

Data sumber dari

2021-12-08

Diakses

2026-04-25

Verifikasi

Kutipan diambil ulang secara independen dan dikonfirmasi kata demi kata terhadap sumber terkutip selama audit pendasaran kami.

Perhitungan

The IFS source reports a single wish-for-more figure of 37%, combining parents who want more (24%) and childless adults who want children (13%, inferred as 37 minus 24). It is the largest fertility-preference group. We use 0.37 as the regret_rate for the inaction side.
[2] Institute for Family Studies — Americans' Desire for Large Families Hits 50-Year High ↗ 1 other entry Sumber referensi

Americans' Desire for Large Families Hits 50-Year High
See all 2 Likelier entries citing this source →

Statistik

The share of Americans who say the ideal family size is 3+ children rose to the highest level in 50 years, indicating a persistent gap between desired and actual fertility

Kutipan

“"The share of Americans who say the ideal family size is three or more children has risen to the highest level in 50 years, widening the gap between desired and actual fertility." ”

Data sumber dari

2023-06-28

Diakses

2026-04-25

Perhitungan

Trend data showing that the desire-for-more gap is widening over time. Supports the 37% wish-for-more figure as durable rather than transient. The gap between desired and actual fertility is a structural feature of modern US demography.

Catatan

Populasi "berharap lebih sedikit" dan "berharap lebih banyak" tumpang tindih secara tidak sempurna: 14% adalah di antara orang tua saat ini, sementara 37% mencakup orang tua yang menginginkan lebih banyak dan orang dewasa tanpa anak yang menginginkan anak. Membandingkan subset hanya orang tua dengan angka semua-orang-dewasa menggelembungkan asimetri yang tampak. Survei IFS menggunakan skala persetujuan item tunggal, bukan instrumen penyesalan yang divalidasi. "Berharap Anda memiliki lebih banyak" tidak sama dengan menyesali keputusan tertentu — mungkin mencerminkan kerinduan. Kendala keuangan, batasan kesuburan, dan ketidaksepakatan pasangan berarti bahwa tidak memiliki lebih banyak anak sering tidak sukarela. Sudut pandang dari perspektif anak: YouGov (Oktober 2023, n=2.000 orang dewasa AS) menemukan bahwa 66% orang dewasa yang tumbuh sebagai anak tunggal berharap mereka memiliki setidaknya satu saudara. Tingkat keinginan saudara perspektif-anak (66%) berjalan jauh lebih tinggi daripada tingkat keinginan-lebih perspektif-orang tua (37%).

Data mentah: /api/decisions.json