Survey shows growing support for marriage and childbirth

More than six in 10 unmarried South Koreans now view marriage positively and believe children are an important part of life, according to a government survey released Thursday. The number of unmarried adults who said they intend to have children also rose above 40 percent for the first time since the survey began.

The Presidential Committee on Ageing Society and Population Policy released the results of its fifth survey on public attitudes toward marriage, childbirth, parenting and government policies addressing low birthrates. The survey was conducted in March among 2,800 people aged 25 to 49 nationwide.

Overall, 76.4 percent of respondents said they had a positive view of marriage, continuing an upward trend since the first survey was conducted in 2024. The share of respondents who said having children is necessary reached 71.6 percent, up 10.5 percentage points from two years earlier.

Among unmarried respondents, positive views on marriage climbed to 65.7 percent, an increase of 9.8 percentage points from the initial survey. The proportion who said children are necessary rose to 62.6 percent, while 40.7 percent said they planned to have children. Those figures were up 12.6 percentage points and 11.2 percentage points, respectively. It was the first time the percentage of unmarried respondents expressing an intention to have children surpassed 40 percent.

Asked what mattered most in addressing South Korea’s low birthrate problem, 83.9 percent cited the need to create more quality jobs. The findings reflected concerns that unstable employment continues to lead many young people to delay marriage or give up on having children altogether.

To improve work-life balance, 60.6 percent said parents raising young children needed greater access to flexible working arrangements.

The committee described the changing attitudes toward marriage and childbirth as an encouraging sign for efforts to reverse South Korea’s declining birthrate. Kim Jin-o, vice chair of the committee, said the shift in perceptions among younger generations represented “a positive development.” “We will continue working on institutional measures to foster a culture that is more supportive of childbirth and child-rearing,” Kim said.


신예린 yrin@donga.com