In the 2024 election cycle, voters without children are under the microscope.
Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance has said that "childless cat ladies" and older adults without kids are "sociopaths" who "don't have a direct stake in this country."
So it was notable that when pop star Taylor Swift endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, she didn't simply express her support and leave it at that. She also called herself a "childless cat lady."
Politicians and others often use the word "childless" as an umbrella term for people who do not have children. But as social scientists who study people without children, we know that this doesn't capture some important nuances.
Using large-scale demographic data, we've found that there are many types of nonparents—and each has its own set of political priorities.
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