More than 60% of unmarried Namsung and nearly half of unmarried women said they are willing to marry, a survey found. The share answering positively about marriage rose for the second straight year, and willingness to have children also increased from a year earlier in both the unmarried and married groups.
The Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association released on the 1st the results of the third National Population Behavior Survey, conducted last September among 2,050 men and women nationwide ages 20 to 44. According to the survey, the share who said "willing to marry" was 60.8% among unmarried Namsung, up 2.2 percentage points (p) from a year earlier (58.6%), while unmarried women came in at 47.6%, up 3.0%p from a year earlier (44.6%).
Conversely, among respondents who said they had no intention to marry or were hesitant, 24.5% of unmarried Namsung cited "burden of marriage expense" as the main reason. For unmarried women, the response "it is hard to find a partner who meets expectations" was highest at 18.3%, showing gender differences in views on marriage.
Willingness to have children also showed an overall improvement. The share who said "willing to have children" was 62.0% among unmarried Namsung, up 3.6%p from a year earlier, and 42.6% among unmarried women, up 1.7%p. Married Namsung rose to 32.9%, up 2.8%p, and married women to 24.3%, up 2.3%p. The average expected number of children by group was 1.69 for married Namsung, 1.67 for married women, 1.54 for unmarried Namsung, and 0.91 for unmarried women.
Across most groups, the most cited reason for hesitating to have children or having no intention was "economic burden." Notably, in the unmarried women group, the highest proportion of respondents was for "because I think the child born will not be happy," drawing attention.
Perceptions of marriage and family showed both positive views and a sense of burden. A total of 86.1% of respondents said "marriage is necessary to build a bonded family," and 76.2% agreed that "the more people who marry, the more prosperous society becomes." On the other hand, 55.0% also agreed with the statement "marriage carries more burdens than benefits."
Lee Samsik, president of the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association, said, "The rise in willingness to marry and have children is a meaningful change amid the low-birth phase," adding, "Policy approaches that reflect the value shifts of the younger generation are needed."