Poll: Easing Economic Concerns Key to Encouraging Marriage; Many Respondents Seek Better Terms in Non-Regular Jobs

By Sanae Nokura and Tomoyo Yamada / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

20:00 JST, June 2, 2025

People marrying late or not at all is believed to be the key factor behind the low birth rate, according to a recent nationwide poll by The Yomiuri Shimbun.

In a survey conducted from March 24 to April 30, the highest percentage of respondents — 71% — cited the tendency to get married later in life or stay single when asked the reasons for the low birth rate.

Economic insecurity among young people is believed to be one cause of this trend. The average number of children born to married couples has not decreased significantly and is currently in the 1.9 range. The national and local governments are urged to focus on support measures that promote marriage.

Student loans

Economic concerns stood out as a perceived reason for the low birth rate. With multiple answers allowed, 64% of respondents chose “it costs too much to raise and educate a child,” while 43% chose “more young people do not have stable jobs or cannot become financially independent.”

“The cost of education for one child through college is said to be more than ¥10 million, which makes me cautious about getting married and having children,” said a 31-year-old man in Kanagawa Prefecture who works full-time for an advertising company.

Young people also feel burdened by the payment of student loans. The Kanagawa man borrowed about ¥5.8 million to pay his tuition at a private university and plans to repay ¥25,000 a month for about 20 years until 2037. “With the high cost of living, the monthly payments make my life difficult,” he said.

According to a fiscal 2022 survey by the Japan Student Services Organization, as many as 55% of university students attending daytime courses take out student loans.

Local governments are stepping up support. The Gifu prefectural government established a payment support system in fiscal 2024, which is also aimed at bringing in new residents from other prefectures.

Companies are also moving to help. As of April, 3,464 companies nationwide were using a system in which they pay all or part of their employees’ student loans directly to the Japan Student Services Organization.

Non-regular employment

Unstable employment conditions, including irregular income, are also an issue.

A Chiba woman in her 40s wrote in the survey that she wanted the government to “eliminate non-regular employment, pay the minimum necessary wages and help us stabilize our livelihoods.”

The survey asked participants to comment about countermeasures for the low birth rate, and remarks about improving the conditions of non-regular employment were prominent. Asked about the factors contributing to people’s tendency to marry later or remain unmarried — with multiple answers allowed — 57% pointed to an increase in young people who are facing economic insecurity due to non-regular employment.

Naoko Kuga, a senior researcher at NLI Research Institute, said the income gap between regular and non-regular employees widens with age for both men and women, and the so-called ¥3 million income barrier stands in the way.

“Unstable employment conditions lead people away from marrying,” Kuga said. “Once income exceeds ¥3 million, the number of unmarried people decreases and the number of married people goes up. Income stability is crucial.”

Help finding a spouse

The lack of opportunities to meet potential partners due to the thinning of social relationships is another factor.

Ehime Prefecture supports the search for a marriage partner. Ehime Marriage Support Center has reported 1,600 marriages over the past 17 years through a matching system that uses AI.

“Seamless support from marriage to birth and child-rearing is necessary,” an official said.

Dating apps have become a popular means for young people to meet. A 2024 survey by the Children and Families Agency among men and women aged 15 to 39 showed that 25% of married individuals cited dating apps as the way they met their partner, the highest percentage among all categories.

Local governments, such as Kagawa Prefecture, are starting to utilize dating apps in collaboration with private companies.