There is only one problem with this handwringing: It no longer fits the data.<\/p>\n
While it is true that parents once were more likely to report they were<\/a> less happy than their childless peers, today that is most definitely not true<\/em>. Recent research by Chris Herbst<\/a> and James McQuivey<\/a> suggests the happiness tide has turned in toward parents, especially those who are married.<\/p>\n This finding is also evident in a new YouGov survey, conducted this summer by the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institution. The survey shows that in the wake of COVID-19, childless<\/em> Americans are now more likely to report their lives are lonely, and less likely to report they are meaningful and happy. A clear majority of men and women (nearly 60%) ages 18-55 who do not have kids say they are lonely some, most, or all of the time.<\/p>\n Only a minority of their peers with children, 45%, report this kind of loneliness.<\/p>\n Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n It used to be that parents in America were less happy than their childless peers. No more. New survey finds: \u201cThe happiness tide has turned toward parents, especially those who are married.\u201d 🧵https:\/\/t.co\/KoF0zeAI45<\/a> via @DeseretNews<\/a><\/p>\n — Brad Wilcox (@BradWilcoxIFS) September 28, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \n