"Do We Really Want Many Children? Chinese Netizens Also Baffled by Alleged Statistical Manipulation"

Chinese Media: "80% of University Students Want Two Children"
Netizens: "People Around Me Don't Even Get Married, What Are You Talking About?"

China's population naturally declined for the first time in over 60 years last year, and a local survey revealed that 8 out of 10 university students responded that they want to have "two or more children," sparking controversy. Chinese netizens also expressed skepticism, saying they cannot trust the statistical data.

8 out of 10 Chinese University Students "Want Two or More Children After Marriage"

On the 14th, citizens are touring booths at the Kobe Baby Fair held at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This exhibition, where you can see everything from maternity products to early childhood education at once, continues until the 17th. Photo by Mun Ho-nam munonam@

Chinese local media, including 'Beijing Business Daily (北京商?)', reported on the 15th (local time) that according to a survey of Chinese university students, 80% of current students said they want two or more children after marriage.

Professor Li Ting from the Institute of Social Demography at Renmin University of China explained in an interview with the media, "80% of students identified a 'two-child family' as the ideal state," adding, "Although rare, some hope for three children. Only 4% expressed that they do not want any children or prefer to be DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids)."

"I know many who don't even marry... Is this data manipulated?" Suspicion Arises

Chinese hospital neonatal unit / Photo by Yonhap News

This survey was conducted about two years after the Chinese government officially passed the 'three-child policy' as a solution to the low birthrate crisis. In the past, the Chinese government maintained the one-child policy to address the rapidly growing population problem.

However, as the newborn birthrate plummeted in the 21st century, the mandatory one-child policy was abolished in 2016, and in 2021, the social maintenance fee obligation was also removed. The social maintenance fee is a kind of punitive tax imposed on couples who violate the child number regulations by having more children. Despite these efforts by the authorities, the birthrate in China shows no signs of recovery.

Local netizens on platforms like Weibo (China's version of Twitter) expressed skepticism about the survey results, saying things like "I can't believe it," "Most university students around me have no plans to marry, let alone have children," and "Do they think people will believe this kind of data manipulation?"

China's Population Declines for the First Time Since the 1961 'Great Leap Forward'

The National Bureau of Statistics of China announced that as of the end of last year, China's population decreased by 850,000 from the previous year to 1.41175 billion. This is the first natural population decline in China since the so-called 'Great Leap Forward' in 1961.

During the Great Leap Forward, population decreased due to widespread starvation and reduced agricultural production, but the current population decline is attributed to a combination of declining birthrates and increased deaths caused by COVID-19. The birthrate per 1,000 people was 6.77, down from 7.52 the previous year, marking the lowest since the founding of the country, while the death rate per 1,000 people slightly increased to 7.3 from 7.18 the previous year.

Initially, the United Nations (UN) projected that China's population would peak in 2031 and then decline, but due to the severe low birthrate problem, the peak has come 10 years earlier. Regarding this, the U.S. financial media 'Bloomberg' described it as "an event with seismic significance in world history," and predicted that if China's economic growth slows due to population decline, it may fail to surpass the United States in gross domestic product (GDP).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.