In Japan, one of the countries with the lowest birth rate in the world, one in 5 university students does not intend to have children, mostly due to financial concerns and the perceived reduction in their free time.
This is what a survey conducted by the online temporary work company, Mynavi Corp., reveals among approximately 2,300 students who will complete their studies in 2025.
Specifically, 19.2% said they did not want children: a sharp increase compared to 13.1% last year.
A clear sign, the analysts explain, of how the responses of the young people interviewed have been conditioned in part by the general increase in prices that has occurred in the last year, "There is the possibility that economic worries are influencing their opinions on life", declared a Mynavi official .
The survey showed that the number of women not interested in having children is greater than that of men, 23.5% and 12.1% respectively.
In a multiple-choice question regarding the reasons, 57.4% of the sample cited "lack of confidence in raising a child", followed by "fears of wasting available time" at 51.5%, and "economic concerns " at 51%.
The research confirms the consolidated trend of young couples in Japan not to give priority to starting a family, while the number of births reached a historic low in 2022, for the first time below 800 thousand units, and the tendency of people to marry later in life is consolidating years, or to decide not to, explains the Japanese Ministry of Health, contributing to a further decrease in the birth rate.
Reproduction reserved © Copyright ANSA