Lina Hardman handles most of the shopping for her family of six in Sandy, Utah. So when her husband, Nathaniel, recently ran out to buy new shoes and came home stunned by the price tag, she wasn’t shocked — just a little amused and sympathetic. The number he expected and the number he saw weren’t even close.
Turns out he’s far from alone.
Across the country, families say the cost of everything — housing, food, utilities, and basic services — is rising faster than their paychecks. And according to the latest American Family Survey, the high cost of raising kids is one of the biggest challenges families face right now.
More than 7 in 10 U.S. adults say raising children simply isn’t affordable anymore. That view is shared across political parties, income levels, and racial and ethnic groups.
The annual survey, conducted by YouGov for BYU’s Wheatley Institute, BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, and Deseret News, digs into how American families live, what they value, and where they’re struggling. The 2025 edition was fielded Aug. 16–18 and included 3,000 respondents. Results were released on Friday at the Brookings Institution.
What’s worrying families most?
Three issues stood out this year:
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Money and the cost of raising kids
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The impact of tech — social media, AI, and pornography
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Shifting norms around family and marriage
Finances were the biggest flashpoint by far, with the largest year-to-year jump in concern about child-rearing costs in the survey’s 11-year history.
Inflation is top of mind, too. Over half of Americans say they’re very worried about it, and another third are somewhat worried — though party affiliation plays a role. Under Biden, Republicans were more anxious; under Trump, Democrats are.
For many, the concern is personal: more than one-third of Americans reported experiencing a financial crisis in the past year. Among households with kids and among those making under $40,000, the numbers are even higher.
BYU political scientist Jeremy Pope, a co-investigator on the study, said inflation is clearly part of the story. “Something has happened in the last few years that has caused more and more people to think children just aren’t very affordable,” he said.
He also thinks younger adults are especially stressed about the housing market. National Realtor data shows the median first-time homebuyer is now 40 years old — up from 33 just a few years ago — a shift that could mean missing out on roughly $150,000 in equity.
Nathaniel Hardman worries about that for his own kids: “I think about how well my kids will be able to launch out on their own as the cost of housing has gotten so high.”
Beyond inflation: taxes, tariffs, and economic stress
Americans aren’t just worried about inflation. Majorities also express concern about rising taxes, tariffs, interest rates, national debt, and unemployment.
Tariffs show a strong partisan divide: 60% of Democrats are very worried compared to just 15% of Republicans — likely tied to Trump’s enthusiastic support for tariffs.
Most Americans (about 75%) believe trade is a good thing, though only a small fraction say it hurts families.
Pope said he’s also concerned about the national debt, even if the public isn’t. “It’s hard for me not to worry that in the very near future, we’re going to have some kind of significant fiscal crisis,” he said.
Do Americans want government help for families?
Nearly half of Americans support both direct support (like tax credits) and investments in programs like child care. Young adults lean more toward building institutions (like universal day care) rather than simply sending families money.
Opposition to family-support policies has dropped noticeably since 2021 — across Republicans, independents, and Democrats.
A majority do not think help for low-income families should depend on whether parents are married.
Attitudes toward marriage itself continue to shift. Fewer adults say marriage is essential for families to thrive, with many seeing long-term commitment as more important than formal marriage.
Still, experts note that healthy marriages can strengthen family stability, finances, and children’s well-being.
How the financial crisis plays out
Every year, the survey asks whether respondents have faced any of several financial hardships — like going hungry, missing bills, moving in with others, or skipping medical care due to cost.
This year, 35% said they experienced at least one crisis. The numbers are much higher for lower-income households, single adults, and Black or Hispanic Americans. Households with kids also reported hardships at higher rates.
Nearly a third of Americans say they couldn’t financially survive a month on savings alone.
What families say they’re facing day to day
When adults think about what families in general struggle with, top answers include:
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The cost of raising kids (49%)
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Abuse or violence (28%)
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High work stress (25%)
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Social media and tech (23%)
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Kids growing up without two parents (23%)
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Lack of good jobs (22%)
But when they think about their own families, the picture shifts. The top concern is mental or physical health struggles (31%), followed by the cost of raising kids (25%).
Political differences shrink when people talk about their own households — Republicans and Democrats generally stress the same things.
The Hardman family
Lina and Nathaniel Hardman have four kids — Anika (15), Seth (13), Kari (10), and Adam (5). Nathaniel works as a data scientist; Lina stays home but works a few hours a week. They’re feeling the same pressures most families do.
To help their kids learn responsibility and earn money, they rotate chores and host neighborhood “date nights” where other parents drop their kids off for dinner and a movie. Their oldest, Anika, babysits to help pay for sports.
They make time for hikes, frisbee, board games, and reading together — Nathaniel still does character voices when he reads aloud.
Their faith is a big part of their family life, and they hope it stays that way as their kids grow. They attend church weekly, pray together, and read scriptures most nights.
Ultimately, the Hardmans are trying to prepare their kids for an adulthood that may be more expensive and more complicated than the one they faced.