Young Japanese Generation Shows Prominent Trend of Avoiding Dating
Top Reason for Avoiding Marriage: "Lack of Financial Stability"
It was revealed that 46% of unmarried Japanese men in their 20s have never dated anyone, making them 'motae solo' (single since birth).
On the 12th, Sankei Shimbun reported this citing a survey by Recruit Bridal. The proportion of men in their 20s who have never dated increased by 11.8 percentage points from 34.2% the previous year to 46%, marking an all-time high.
According to a survey by Recruit Bridal in Japan, the proportion of men in their 20s who have never dated someone of the opposite sex reached an all-time high of 46%, up 11.8 percentage points from 34.2% the previous year. [Photo by AFP · Yonhap News]
The survey was conducted nationwide in Japan between September 5 and 6 this year, targeting 1,200 unmarried men and women aged 20 to 49.
For men in their 30s, the 'motae solo' rate reached 41.2%, also up from 35.4% last year. However, the proportion of men in their 40s who have never dated decreased from 27.1% last year to 22.9%.
Among women in their 20s, the 'motae solo' rate increased by 5.5 percentage points from 24.3% last year to 29.8%. For women in their 30s and 40s, the rates rose from 23% and 19.9% to 25.3% and 26.5%, respectively.
When asked if they currently have a partner, 26.7% of men in their 20s, 27.6% in their 30s, and 14.4% in their 40s answered "yes." The proportion who said they currently do not have a partner but have dated before was 27.3% for men in their 20s, 31.2% in their 30s, and 14.4% in their 40s.
'From a "Marriage Difficult Society" to a "Marriage Unnecessary Society": Japan's Shift'
The proportion of men who want not only to date but also to marry has also shown a declining trend. The percentage of men who answered "yes" to the question "Do you intend to marry?" was found to be an average of 43.5% across all age groups. This is a decrease from the previous year's survey (47.1%). [Photo by EPA · Yonhap News]
Not only dating but also the proportion of men who want to marry showed a declining trend. The percentage of men who answered "yes" to the question "Do you intend to marry?" averaged 43.5% across all age groups, down from 47.1% in the previous year's survey.
The main reason for avoiding marriage was "because of financial constraints," accounting for 42.5% of responses.
Avoidance of marriage was also observed among Japanese women. The average percentage of women who said they intend to marry was 49.3% across all age groups, down about 10% from 59.7% last year. The top reason for not wanting to marry was "because it restricts behavior and lifestyle," at 40.5%.
Sankei Shimbun analyzed that men cite financial burdens and responsibility for support as reasons for avoiding marriage, while women point to lifestyle restrictions and a lack of perceived necessity for marriage.
As a result, some analyses within Japan suggest that Japanese society has moved beyond a "marriage difficult society" to a "marriage unnecessary society."
Six out of Ten Unmarried Men and Women in Korea Are Either Not Dating or Have No Dating Experience
According to the "2022 Newlywed Couples Statistics" released by Statistics Korea on the same day, the number of newlywed couples married for 1 to 5 years has sharply declined to the threshold of 1 million couples. The number of newlywed couples decreased by 69,000 couples (6.3%) from 1,101,000 couples in 2021 to 1,032,000 couples last year. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Not only in Japan, but young generations in Korea also showed indifference toward dating and marriage.
According to a survey on 'Dating Attitudes of Unmarried Men and Women' conducted by the online polling agency PMI on the 16th of last month, targeting 3,000 men and women aged 20 to 69 in Korea, 64.6% of respondents were either not dating or had no dating experience.
The proportion who answered "not dating" was 46.3%, and those with "no dating experience" accounted for 18.3%. The percentage who said they were "dating" was 35.4%.
Breaking down those currently dating by age group, the rates were 44% for people in their 20s, 39.4% in their 30s, and 18% in their 40s. Conversely, the proportion of 'motae solo' with no dating experience was higher among younger age groups: 21.2% in their 20s, 16% in their 30s, and 15.5% in their 40s.
The most common reason for not dating was "I am comfortable being alone," at 33.6%. The second reason, at 18%, was "lack of opportunities to meet people." Following were "could not find someone I liked" (14.1%), "did not feel the need to date" (12.7%), "lack of financial resources" (11.2%), and "want to focus on work or studies/career" (4.5%).
Although the lowest at 2.3%, some respondents cited social issues causing caution or distrust in meeting others.
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