不生孩子的人后悔了吗

今天，关于「生孩子」的话题再次在社交媒体上引发热议。

正巧，前几天美国密歇根州立大学（Michigan State University）研究人员发布了一项相关研究，结果表明约20%的人不想要孩子。而对于不要孩子到老了会后悔的说法，研究人员称，没有发现任何证据表明无子女的人在晚年比有子女的在人生中感到更遗憾。

🤔️小作业：

0. cherry-picking是什么意思？

1. What is the purpose of the new study published in PLOS ONE?

2. Which of the following is NOT a finding of the study?

无注释原文：

MSU study confirms: 1 in 5 adults don't want children — and they don't regret it later

From: MSUToday (Michigan State University)

April 5, 2023

Last summer, researchers at Michigan State University reported that one in five Michigan adults, or about 1.7 million people, don't want children and therefore are child-free. Although that number was surprisingly large to many data has now been confirmed in a follow-up study.

“We found that 20.9% of adults in Michigan do not want children, which closely matches our earlier estimate of 21.6%, and means that over 1.6 million people in Michigan are child-free,” said Jennifer Watling Neal, MSU professor of psychology and co-author of the study. “Michigan is demographically similar to the United States as a whole, so this could mean 50 million to 60 million Americans are child-free.”

The new study published in PLOS ONE attempted to replicate the original study by using the same methods, but with a new sample of people. The researchers used data from a representative sample of 1,000 adults who completed MSU's State of the State Survey, conducted by the university's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. To avoid any risk of cherry-picking results, the researchers preregistered the study by recording in advance exactly how the study would be conducted and what they expected to find.

“Many adults are child-free, and there do not seem to be differences by age, education or income,” said Zachary Neal, associate professor of psychology at MSU and co-author of the study. “However, being child-free is somewhat more common among adults who identify as male, white or who have always been single.”

Particularly interesting was a more zoomed-in finding: that childless couples had no more regrets later in life than parents, contradicting a commonly cited concern.

Some express concern that child-free adults will regret the decision not to have children, especially later in life. But Watling Neal explained “we found no evidence that older child-free adults experience any more life regret than older parents. In fact, older parents were slightly more likely to want to change something about their life.”

Because so many people are child-free, the researchers said this group warrants more attention, particularly as reproductive rights are being eroded.

“States' restrictions on reproductive health care may result in many people being forced to have children despite not wanting them, which is very concerning,” Neal said.

The research team is now examining whether abortion restrictions affect adults' choice to be child-free and are expanding their work beyond Michigan to include other states and countries.

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注：中文文本为机器翻译并非一一对应，仅供参考

含注释全文：

MSU study confirms: 1 in 5 adults don't want children — and they don't regret it later

From: MSUToday (Michigan State University)

April 5, 2023

Last summer, researchers at Michigan State University reported that one in five Michigan adults, or about 1.7 million people, don't want children and therefore are child-free. Although that number was surprisingly large to many data has now been confirmed in a follow-up study.

去年夏天，密歇根州立大学（Michigan State University）的研究人员报告称，密歇根州成年人中有五分之一（约170万人）不想要孩子，即无孩家庭。尽管这个比例出奇的大，但该数据在后续研究中得到了证实。

1）作名词，表示“后续行动；后续事物”，英文解释为“an action or a thing that continues sth that has already started or comes after sth similar that was done earlier”举个🌰：

The book is a follow-up to her excellent television series. 这本书是继她的优秀电视系列片之后的又一力作。

2）也可作“形容词”表示“后续的；进一步的”。

“We found that 20.9% of adults in Michigan do not want children, which closely matches our earlier estimate of 21.6%, and means that over 1.6 million people in Michigan are child-free,” said Jennifer Watling Neal, MSU professor of psychology and co-author of the study. “Michigan is demographically similar to the United States as a whole, so this could mean 50 million to 60 million Americans are child-free.”

“我们发现密歇根州20.9%的成年人不想要孩子，这与我们之前估计的21.6%非常接近，这意味着密歇根州超过160万的人没有孩子，”该研究的共同作者、密歇根州立大学心理学教授詹妮弗·沃特林·尼尔（Jennifer Watling Neal）说。“密歇根州在人口统计学上与整个美国相似，因此这可能意味着5000万到6000万美国人没有孩子。”

表示“人口统计地；人口统计学地”，英文解释为“relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up)”

demographic 1）作形容词，表示“人口的；人口统计的；人口学的”，英文解释为“relating to demography (= the study of populations and the different groups that make them up)”举个🌰：

There have been monumental social and demographic changes in the country. 该国的社会和人口状况已经发生了巨大的变化。

demographic 2）作名词，表示“（顾客）族群”，英文解释为“a group of people, for example customers, who are similar in age, social class, etc.”举个🌰：

This demographic (young teenagers) is the fastest-growing age group using the site. 该族群（十几岁的年轻人）是使用这个网站人数增长最快的年龄群体。

The new study published in PLOS ONE attempted to replicate the original study by using the same methods, but with a new sample of people. The researchers used data from a representative sample of 1,000 adults who completed MSU's State of the State Survey, conducted by the university's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. To avoid any risk of cherry-picking results, the researchers preregistered the study by recording in advance exactly how the study would be conducted and what they expected to find.

发表在《PLOS ONE》上的这项新研究试图通过使用相同的方法来复现最初的研究，但使用了新的人群样本。研究人员使用了来自1000名成年人的代表性样本的数据，这些成年人完成了密歇根州立大学公共政策和社会研究所（Institute for Public Policy and Social Research）进行的“州情调查”。为了避免结果以偏概全，研究人员通过事先准确记录研究的方式及预期的发现，对该研究进行了预登记。

表示“使复现；重复；复制”，英文解释为“to make or do something again in exactly the same way”举个🌰：

Researchers tried many times to replicate the original experiment. 研究者们作了很多次努力，试图重复这一实验。

representative /ˌrep.rɪˈzen.tə.tɪv/ 表示“有代表性的；典型的；代表…的”，英文解释为“typical of, or the same as, others in a larger group of people or things”举个🌰：

Are your views/opinions representative of all the workers here? 你的观点/意见可以代表这里所有工人的想法吗？

表示“挑捡最好的；筛选；精选”，英文解释为“If someone cherry-picks people or things, they choose the best ones from a group of them, often in a way that other people consider unfair.”举个🌰：

The team is in debt while others are lining up to cherry-pick their best players. 该队负了债，而别的队正在排队挑捡他们最好的运动员。

“Many adults are child-free, and there do not seem to be differences by age, education or income,” said Zachary Neal, associate professor of psychology at MSU and co-author of the study. “However, being child-free is somewhat more common among adults who identify as male, white or who have always been single.”

“许多成年人没有孩子，年龄、教育或收入似乎没有差异，”该研究的共同作者、密歇根州立大学心理学副教授扎卡里·尼尔（Zachary Neal）说。“然而，在男性、白人或一直单身的成年人中，没有孩子的情况更为普遍。”

Particularly interesting was a more zoomed-in finding: that childless couples had no more regrets later in life than parents, contradicting a commonly cited concern.

特别有趣的是一个更细微的发现：没有孩子的夫妇在晚年并不比有子女的夫妇更后悔，这与常被提及的担忧相矛盾。

zoom /zuːm/ in/out表示“（使照相机或计算机）画面放大/缩小”，英文解释为“to (cause a camera or computer to) make the image of something or someone appear much larger and nearer, or much smaller and further away”举个🌰：

At the beginning of the film, the camera zooms in to show two people sitting by the side of a river. 影片一开始，镜头拉近，对准了坐在河边的两个人。

1）表示“相抵触；相矛盾；相反”，英文解释为“to be so different from each other that one of them must be wrong”举个🌰：

The two stories contradict each other. 这两种说法相互抵触。

2）表示“反驳；驳斥；批驳”，英文解释为“to say that sth that sb else has said is wrong, and that the opposite is true”举个🌰：

All evening her husband contradicted everything she said. 整个晚上她说什么丈夫都反驳。

Some express concern that child-free adults will regret the decision not to have children, especially later in life. But Watling Neal explained “we found no evidence that older child-free adults experience any more life regret than older parents. In fact, older parents were slightly more likely to want to change something about their life.”

。

一些人表示担心，没有孩子的成年人会后悔不生孩子的决定，特别是在晚年。但是沃特林·尼尔解释说，“我们没有发现任何证据表明无子女的老年人比有子女的在人生中感到更后悔。事实上，有子女的老年人略微更可能想改变他们的生活。”

Because so many people are child-free, the researchers said this group warrants more attention, particularly as reproductive rights are being eroded.

因为很多人没有孩子，研究人员表示，这个群体值得更多的关注，尤其是在生殖权利受到损害的情况下。

1）作名词，表示“令状，搜查令；拘捕令”，英文解释为“A warrant is a legal document that allows someone to do something, especially one that is signed by a judge or magistrate and gives the police permission to arrest someone or search their house.”

2）作动词时，表示“使...有必要，使…显得适当”，英文解释为“If something warrants a particular action, it makes the action seem necessary or appropriate for the circumstances.”举个🌰：

Obviously what she did was wrong, but I don't think it warranted such a severe punishment. 显然她做得不对，但我认为她不应该受到如此严厉的惩罚。

3）还有一个用法是表示“担保，保证；许诺”（used to say that you are certain about something），举个🌰：

I'll warrant (you). 我（向你）保证。

🎬电影《美丽心灵》（A Beautiful Mind）中的台词提到：Your record doesn't warrant any placement at all. 你的履历压根不足以保证你能胜任任何职位。

表示“生殖；生育；繁殖”，英文解释为“relating to the process of reproduction”。

“States' restrictions on reproductive health care may result in many people being forced to have children despite not wanting them, which is very concerning,” Neal said.

尼尔说：“各州对生殖健康保健的限制可能会导致许多人在不想要孩子的情况下被迫生孩子，这非常令人担忧。”

The research team is now examining whether abortion restrictions affect adults' choice to be child-free and are expanding their work beyond Michigan to include other states and countries.

该研究团队现在正研究堕胎限制是否会影响成年人不生孩子的决定，并将他们的研究工作扩展到密歇根州以外的其他州和国家。

表示“（通常指通过手术进行的）堕胎，人工流产”，英文解释为“If a woman has an abortion, she ends her pregnancy deliberately so that the baby is not born alive.”举个🌰：

He and his girlfriend had been going out together for a year when she had an abortion. 他的女友流产时，他和她已经交往了一年时间。

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