Only 16.5% of teenagers ages 17 to 19 in Japan believe they will definitely marry in the future, with others citing psychological and financial concerns in tying the knot, a recent survey by a philanthropic organization showed.
The low figures seen in the December online survey by Nippon Foundation contrast with 65.5% of the 1,000 respondents who said they desire to marry. Some 17.4% said they do not have such a desire.
In a multiple-choice question asking why the respondents believe they will not be married, 47.3% of 514 men who gave valid answers said they do not have a partner or think they will not find one, with 23.2% citing financial difficulties.
Among 486 female respondents, 52.3% said it is psychologically less burdensome to be single.
Some 36.9% said they do not want to raise children and 35.1% said they do not want to lose their freedom, with the percentage of women giving such answers higher than male respondents.
In the fast-graying Japanese society, there is believed to be a positive correlation between a decline in marriages and a decline in births.
The number of babies born in the world's third-largest economy was likely to have dropped to a record low for seven straight years in 2022 and below the 800,000 line for the first time, recent health ministry data has suggested.
Regarding the decline of births in Japan, 74.1% of the respondents said they feel a sense of crisis.
When asked about obstacles to having children, the financial burden was the biggest hurdle named by both male and female respondents.
Free education was the most picked measure they want the government to implement in tackling declining births.