A new NBC News poll conducted in August and September finds stark differences within Generation Z over the importance of marriage and having children, with young men who said they voted for Donald Trump ranking parenthood as their top priority and many young women who said they voted for Kamala Harris ranking it near the bottom of a list of life goals.
The survey asked Americans ages 18 to 29 to choose their top three priorities from a list that included a fulfilling career, emotional stability, owning a home, being spiritually grounded and being debt-free. Among male respondents who reported voting for Trump, “having children” placed first. Female Trump voters prioritized financial independence and ranked having children sixth and getting married ninth.
Young people who reported voting for Harris put a fulfilling career ahead of family formation. For Harris voters, having children and getting married ranked far lower on the list: the poll showed having children at No. 10 for men and No. 12 for women, and marriage at No. 9 for men and No. 11 for women.
The only priority that clustered at the bottom across partisan lines was being famous, the poll found.
Political commentators and cultural observers said the results illustrate how family formation has become a politicized issue for a cohort that historically experienced these matters as private or apolitical rites of passage. Conservative hosts and public figures have in recent years promoted marriage and pro-natalist views in high-visibility forums. Jordan Peterson’s lectures on marriage and relationships draw substantial online audiences. Ben Shapiro and other conservative podcasters have produced content urging young people to marry, and some conservative commentators have publicly encouraged celebrities to adopt more traditional family roles.
Elon Musk has described pro-natalist views publicly, and figures such as Charlie Kirk have criticized modern feminist attitudes in commentary about high-profile celebrity engagements. On the other side of the cultural spectrum, some artists and influencers popular with younger women have expressed ambivalence or negative assessments of marriage and parenthood. Model Emily Ratajkowski posted about calling off a marriage and turning her engagement ring into what has been described in social posts as a “divorce ring,” and musician Chappell Roan said on a podcast that she believes friends with children are unhappy.
Experts in demography and social trends caution against reading a single poll as definitive evidence of long-term behavior change, but said attitudes expressed by younger cohorts are closely watched because they can presage future shifts in marriage and fertility rates. Some analysts and commentators warned that widening ideological differences about family formation could have broader social and policy implications, including discussions around child care, parental leave and population trends. Other researchers emphasize that economic factors such as housing costs, student debt and job stability also play central roles in decisions about marriage and childbearing.
Polling results also reflect broader generational shifts in priorities: across political lines many young people placed career and financial stability high on their lists. Advocates on different sides of the debate say messaging and institutional supports matter if policymakers want to influence family-formation decisions.
The NBC News poll contributes to an ongoing public discussion about how cultural influence, partisan identity and economic conditions shape young adults’ life plans. Analysts said future surveys and longitudinal studies will be needed to determine whether expressed priorities translate into long-term demographic and social changes.