Photo: CFP

 
Several Chinese cities, including Ningbo from East China's Zhejiang Province and Mianyang from Southwest China's Sichuan Province, revealed survey results on public outlook on marriage and their willingness of giving birth. The result suggest that more respondents of reproductive age think marriage is not mandatory for life; and compared with men, women prefer to have just one child.  

On Friday, Ningbo's Women's Federation released survey results on people's concepts of marraige, which shows that 57 percent of respondents hope to get married between the ages of 26 and 30. However, there is a notable gap between the actual marriage rates within this ideal age range and people's expectations. Additionally, 32 percent prefer to marry between the ages of 31 and 35, according to Ningbo Evening News.

Respondents in reproductive age reflected a polarized view on marriage. More than 60 percent of them believe that marriage is not a necessary option in life, while more than 30 percent firmly believe that marriage is an indispensable part of life. Additionally, 3 percent of respondents explicitly stated that they refuse to enter into marriage.

Regarding the willingness to have children, 63 percent of respondents indicated that they are open to having children but would choose based on their own circumstances. Some 28 percent firmly believe that having children is essential, while 10 percent said they don't want to have children. The results indicate that, in present-day China, the number of people who choose not to have children is relatively small.

A similar survey conducted by Mianyang's statistical bureau, and published by local media in August suggests that respondents' preference to have one child is the highest, accounting for 46.2 percent, while the willingness to have two, and three or more children are 40.3 percent and 2.9 percent respectively. Some 10.6 percent expressed no desire to have any children. 

From a gender perspective, 47.3 percent of women are inclined to have one child, slightly higher than that of men, but their willingness to have two or three children is lower than that of men. 

The government of Jiuquan in Northwest China's Gansu Province conducted a survey on the implementation of the city's fertility support policies in May of this year. The survey showed that among 1,284 respondents, only 5.3 percent expressed a willingness to have three children. 

As the primary demographic for childbirth today, the "post-90s" generation, which is predominantly made up of only child, places greater emphasis on improving personal quality of life and self-development compared to the "post-70s" and "post-80s" generations. Their views on marriage and childbirth, such as delaying marriage and childbirth, choosing not to marry and not to have children, are key factors restricting the improvement of fertility levels.

On October 17, the China Population and Development Research Center, a public institution directly under the National Health Commission (NHC) officially launched a fresh round of population and family development survey to understand family dynamics and reproductive behaviors, ultimately providing data to enhance fertility support policies.

On October 28, the General Office of China's State Council unveiled new policies to support childbirth to promote the building of a birth-friendly society. The directive outlines 13 targeted measures on enhancing childbirth support services, expanding child-care systems, fostering a birth-friendly social atmosphere, and strengthening support in education, housing and employment.

Global Times