In 1981, an Iowa Poll asked Iowans, “If you had to do it all over, would you have children earlier, later, or at the same time?”. When compared across age groups and differing numbers of children, the data indicates differences in the responses of Iowans. This data comes from Iowa Poll #248, a random sample survey of 1,011 Iowans from April 1981, which has been restored as part of a larger IPOL project to recover lost data from past Iowa Polls.

Overall, most Iowans said they would have children at the same time (about 77.2%), while smaller percentages said earlier (about 12.8%) or later (about 8.5%). The results also varied by the number of children and age. People with three children were most likely to say the same time (about 81.1%), while those with one child were more likely to say earlier (15.1%) or later (11.6%). Younger respondents (ages 18–29) were much more likely to say later (about 21.8%), while older groups, especially those 65+, were more likely to say earlier (about 18.9%). This shows a general trend that satisfaction with timing is high overall, but perspectives shift with age and family size.

Iowa Poll #248, conducted by the Des Moines Register, was administered to a random sample of Iowans in April 1981. In addition to the questions about children, the survey asked respondents their opinions on a wide variety of topics, including the recent assassination attempt on President Reagan, personal finances, school spending, smoking habits, and handgun control. Understanding Iowans’ past opinions on these topics can help us understand how perspectives have changed and what ideas have remained popular. IPOL has also been working with UI Libraries and the Des Moines Register to restore data from dozens of Iowa Polls from the 1960s to early 1980s. More information about the project can be found here. We are working to release a full report on our findings as we analyze additional questions.