China launches survey to understand ‘fear of having children’

China’s National Health Commission (NHC) is surveying 30,000 people to understand factors influencing their attitudes towards childbearing and the “fear surrounding having children”, as authorities struggle to boost a flagging birthrate.

The survey will include people from 150 counties in China and 1,500 different communities, the state-backed Global Times said late on Thursday, citing the China Population and Development Research Center, which falls under the NHC.

Beijing is trying to encourage young couples to have children after China posted a second consecutive year of population decline in 2023.

The survey aims to analyze “reluctance and fear surrounding having children” and ultimately provide fertility support and incentive measures, the newspaper said.

The last time a countrywide family and fertility survey was carried out was in 2021. It comes after China’s National Bureau of Statistics said it will conduct a nationwide sample survey from Oct. 10-Nov. 30 to monitor population changes.

Population development has often been linked to a strong and rejuvenated China in state media.

Chinese health officials said in September they would focus more efforts on advocating marriage and childbirth at “appropriate ages“ and called for shared parenting responsibilities to guide young people towards “positive perspectives on marriage, childbirth and family.”