자녀 둘 좋지만 현실은 1명…“양육∙교육비 부담 탓”

Seventy-one percent of the 1,000 adults aged 20 to 49 surveyed thought having children was necessary for a fulfilling life, whether for the happiness and meaning of the family (82.2%) or a sense of achievement and purpose (46.8%). The ideal number of children respondents wanted was 2 (58.9%), followed by 1 child (20.8%), 3 or more children (12.1%), and no children (8.2%).

While 71.0% of respondents aimed for two or more children, only 44.9% expected to have one child or more in reality. The primary reason for this discrepancy was the economic burden of raising children. All respondents cited "childcare and education expenses" (100% with possible duplicate responses) as the reason for having fewer children than desired.

Other factors included "difficulty balancing work and parenting" (40.4%) and "housing costs and housing environment issues" (36.6%). The most influential factor for actual childbirth was "economic stability" (first 71.5%, second 65.1%, third 63.9%). Additionally, government and local government policies were considered key social support factors, with their influence increasing with the number of children (first 26.5%, second 32.1%, third 36.3%).

The research concluded that "fundamentally, various factors such as economic factors, childcare and care duties, career breaks, and more impact childbirth, with the influence of policy, childcare and care responsibilities, and career interruptions increasing as the number of children grows."