Jung Woo-sung's 'Non-Marital Childbirth'... 30% of Adults "Support"

Actor Jung Woo-sung, who revealed himself as the biological father, following Moon Ga-bi's childbirth news

Amid growing interest in non-marital childbirth following actor Jung Woo-sung's disclosure of having a child out of wedlock, a survey revealed that three out of ten adults have a positive view of non-marital childbirth.

On the 27th, data consulting company PMI Co., Ltd. announced the results of a survey conducted in May targeting 3,000 men and women nationwide aged 18 and older. According to the results, 30.3% of respondents supported non-marital childbirth, with more than 35% of respondents in their 20s and 30s showing a positive attitude toward it. In contrast, the approval rate among those aged 60 and above was 20.8%, indicating a clear difference in perception by age group.

Regarding non-marital cohabitation, 57.1% of respondents answered positively, with particularly high positive rates among those in their 20s (74.2%) and 30s (67.3%). Conversely, only 35.7% of those aged 60 and above viewed non-marital cohabitation positively, showing a generational difference in values. When asked about registering marriage after wedding ceremonies, 38.4% of respondents viewed not registering the marriage positively. However, 61.6% considered marriage registration an essential procedure for marriage.

The most anticipated aspect of married life was ‘psychological and emotional stability,’ with 84.7% ranking it highest. This was followed by ‘economic stability’ (78.5%), ‘sexually intimate relationships’ (73.9%), and ‘expectation of having children’ (64.4%). Notably, the expectation of having children was higher among male respondents (70.0%) than female respondents (58.9%), revealing gender differences in childbirth-related expectations.

Jominhee, CEO of PMI, explained, "The changing perception of non-marital childbirth reflects structural changes in Korean society," adding, "The main causes of these changes include the weakening of traditional views on marriage, economic instability, and improved awareness of gender equality."

Professor Yoon Seok Lee of the Department of Urban Sociology at the University of Seoul commented on the PMI survey, saying, "Koreans still tend to regard marriage as a prerequisite for childbirth," and predicted, "In the U.S. and Europe, childbirth and marriage are considered independent events, and Korea is likely to follow this trend as society increasingly values individual preferences and choices." He added, "Negative perceptions of non-marital childbirth should be improved, and active policy support must be prepared to ensure that children born into non-marital families can grow up healthily."

This survey was conducted by PMI Co., Ltd. through its proprietary panel, 'Wiz Panel,' with a sampling error of ±1.79 percentage points at a 95% confidence level.