35% of unmarried youth in Japan say they do not plan to marry: survey
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Thirty-five percent of unmarried young people in Japan say they do not plan to marry, a government survey showed Monday, with many ci
A government survey conducted by the Children and Families Agency in Japan reveals that 35% of unmarried youth aged 15 to 39 do not plan to marry, according to a first large-scale study of its kind. The majority of respondents cited concerns about income and changes in lifestyle as common obstacles to marriage. When asked about their priorities over marriage, 50.8% of the 68,000 respondents prioritized enjoying leisure time and hobbies.
In terms of timeline, 37.5% said they wanted to marry someday, while 9.5% desired to marry as soon as possible. The top hurdle to marriage was concerns about having an income that would support a stable married life, cited by 40.0% of respondents. Other factors included losing free time or having less time for hobbies, a lack of a suitable partner, and challenges related to housing or funds for housing.
Men and women differed in their reasons for not wanting to marry, with women being more likely to cite an imbalance in sharing housework and child-rearing duties. The survey, conducted online from May 20 to Aug. 5, aims to inform future policy measures based on the collected data.
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