China Investigating Why Citizens ‘Fear’ Having Children

China has launched a national survey to better understand its citizens’ reluctance or “fear” of having children, as the country grapples with one of the world’s lowest birth rates.

The survey, which will cover 30,000 participants across 1,500 communities in 150 counties, is intended to identify the factors influencing public attitudes toward parenthood. It also aims to explore the challenges families face and analyze the sentiments of fear and reluctance surrounding childbearing.

According to the National Health Commission’s China Population and Development Research Center, the data will provide scientific evidence for enhancing fertility support policies and creating new incentive measures, as reported by the state-backed Global Times.

Despite the end of China’s one-child policy in 2016 and other measures designed to encourage child-rearing, China’s birth rate continues to decline.

In 2023, the rate fell to a record low of 6.39 per 1,000 people, down from 12.43 in 2017. The number of newborns nearly halved, from 18.8 million in 2016 to just 9.5 million in 2023, marking the lowest figure since 1949.

This ongoing trend has significant implications for China’s future. A shrinking workforce and an aging population could threaten the long-term vitality of the world’s second-largest economy, straining social welfare systems and potentially hampering economic productivity.

Song Jian, demographer from the Center for Population and Development Studies at Renmin University, highlighted that China raised its two-child policy to allow three children per family in 2021.

The policy change has yet to reverse the declining trend in birth rates, Song noted. She acknowledged to the Global Times that the survey, which has not been conducted in three years, is not a solution on its own, but it will “help refine the policy framework with data support.”

China’s fertility rate, or the average number of births per woman, dropped to 1.0 in 2023, marking the seventh consecutive year of decline. The overall population has been shrinking, with 2022 marking the first population drop since 1962, following the Great Chinese Famine.

These demographic trends are further compounded by China being on the verge of becoming a super-aged society, where those age 65 and over will account for nearly 20 percent of the population. According to the World Bank, this figure is expected to climb to 28 percent within the next two decades, further challenging the country’s economic and social stability.

While the government has implemented various fertility support measures, including local incentives and policies aimed at reducing the cost of living, these efforts have not reversed the declining birth rates.