Japan survey finds second-child interest at lowest level since 2018
Income uncertainty was cited by 54.5% of respondents who did not want another child, according to insurer Meiji Yasuda Life.
A survey by Meiji Yasuda Life found that 28.2% of parents polled in Japan wanted another child, the lowest reading in its surveys since 2018. The insurer reported an almost 57% decline from 2020 in the number expressing that wish, with financial worries the main reason cited.
The September survey covered couples whose only child was aged between 0 and 6. Among respondents opposed to having another child, 54.5% pointed to uncertainty over future income.
Almost 70% said better economic circumstances would lead them to reconsider. Couples identified higher combined earnings and more stable inflation, currently about 2%, as factors that would reduce their concerns.
Meiji Yasuda Life estimated monthly child-raising expenses at around ¥43,000, a record in its findings. Inflation had increased the burden of food, extracurricular activities and nursery schooling, the survey found. Parents also reported trimming travel and leisure spending to save money.
Kazutaka Maeda, an economist at the insurer, said the economic climate was making a second child difficult for families, rather than reflecting a diminishing desire. He said most parents with one child would like two if their financial circumstances allowed.
