China investigates why citizens are ‘afraid’ of having children

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

The survey, which will include 30,000 participants in 1,500 communities in 150 counties, is designed to identify the factors that influence public attitudes toward parenting. It also aims to explore the challenges faced by families and analyze the feelings of fear and reluctance related to the birth of children.

According to the China Population and Development Research Center of the National Health Commission, the data will provide scientific evidence for improving fertility promotion policies and creating new incentive policies, as reported by the state-sponsored agency Global times.

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

In 2023, the rate fell to a record low of 6.39 per 1,000 people, compared to 12.43 in 2017. The number of newborns nearly halved from 18.8 million in 2016 to just 9.5 million annually 2023, which represents the lowest value 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, strain social systems and potentially harm economic productivity.

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

Song noted that the policy change has not yet reversed the declining trend in birth rates. She confirmed this Global times that the survey, which has not been conducted for three years, is not a sole solution but “will help refine the policy framework with data support.”

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

These demographic trends are exacerbated by the fact that China is on the verge of becoming an aging society, with people aged 65 and older accounting for nearly 20 percent of the population. According to the World Bank, this figure is expected to rise to 28 percent within the next two decades, further threatening the country’s economic and social stability.

Although the government has implemented various fertility support measures, including local incentives and cost-of-living measures, these efforts have not reversed the decline in birth rates.