This file photo shows a wedding dress shop in Seoul on Dec. 11, 2023. (Image courtesy of Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 15 (Korea Bizwire) – Amidst growing concerns over South Korea’s critically low birth rate, a recent survey reveals a significant increase in marriage and childbirth intentions among people in their 20s and 30s, offering a glimmer of hope for the country’s demographic challenges.
The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy released the results of a survey conducted from August 31 to September 7, involving 2,592 men and women aged 25 to 49. The findings, compared to a similar survey in March, show a marked shift in attitudes towards marriage and family formation.
According to the survey, 65.4% of unmarried respondents said they were either actively planning to marry or wished to do so in the future, an increase of 4.4 percentage points from March. The change was particularly pronounced among women in their 30s, with 60% expressing a desire to marry — an 11.6 percentage point jump from the previous survey.
The perception of marriage also improved, with 71.5% of respondents viewing it positively, a slight increase from March. Notably, 75.4% of men aged 25-29 expressed a positive view of marriage, up 7.1 percentage points.
Attitudes towards having children have also become more favorable across both genders. Young women aged 25-29, who previously showed the lowest positive perception of having children, saw a significant 13.7 percentage point increase, reaching 48.1%.
Overall, 68.2% of respondents believe children are necessary, up 7.1 percentage points from March. The ideal number of children, according to respondents, averaged 1.8.
Among childless couples, the intention to have children rose to 37.7%, a 5.1 percentage point increase. Married couples without children showed the most significant change, with 50.7% expressing an intention to have children — an 8.3 percentage point jump.
However, the survey revealed that only 9.3% of parents with children planned to have more, a slight decrease from March. The main reasons cited for not having additional children were the financial burden of child-rearing (46.1%) and the perceived difficulty of raising children (40.7%).
The survey also highlighted a strong preference for extended parental care, with 60.8% of respondents desiring at least one year of in-home childcare after birth.
Regarding work-life balance, 60.6% of dual-income households emphasized the need for more time for childcare.
Public awareness of government policies to address the low birth rate was relatively high, with 64.6% of respondents familiar with such initiatives. Women, particularly those in their 40s, showed higher awareness (68.4%) compared to men.
M. H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
