What Americans consider to be the ideal size of a family has changed dramatically in the past 30 years, according to the Pew Research Center.
As it currently stands, a plurality of Americans believe the perfect family has two children. But prior to the 1970s, most Americans thought the sweet spot was four children.
So what changed? According to Pew, it was likely a mishmash of factors. The 1970s brought greater access to birth control, more women in the workforce, and tighter economic conditions for the average American family.
As the chart shows, the two-child family has been the majority preference for the past three decades, and with the recent economic downturn it doesn't look to be changing anytime soon. The Urban Institute noted not too long ago that the recession likely accelerated declining birth rates in America.
There is, however, one demographic that has opted to have more children, not less, in recent years: Highly educated women.
As the Deseret News National's Mandy Morgan wrote last week, the Pew Research Center has found that "women with higher education are choosing to have more children than in past decades," a trend that has helped maintain average family sizes during a period of dramatic decline among other demographics.
JJ Feinauer is a writer for Deseret News National. Email: jfeinauer@deseretdigital.com, Twitter: jjfeinauer.