The study assessed young adults' attitudes toward childlessness and identified certain factors which predict positive or negative attitudes toward childlessness. The author anticipated finding changes in attitudes because of recent social developments such as awareness of world overpopulation, availability of birth control methods, pressure for equal rights for men and women, and increased cost of childrearing. Participants in the study were 240 students enrolled in marriage and family classes at a Texas university. Women comprised 68% of the sample, and 85% of all respondents were single. A questionnaire measured independent variables such as sex, religious affiliation, importance of money, and preference of size of group they liked to be with. An attitude scale elicited five responses from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree" on 20 statements about childlessness. Analysis of responses indicates that young adults as represented by the sample are ambivalent toward childlessness. Students who were younger and more religious tended to have negative attitudes toward childlessness. Students with positive attitudes tended to value their freedom and were less religious and jealous. (AV)