Why many youths do not want to marry

A recent survey by a research team affiliated to the Communist Youth League of China Central Committee found that 12.8 percent of those born between 1995 and 2009 believe they are unlikely to fall in love and 25 percent are "not sure" about having a relationship. Also, 8.9 percent of the respondents said "no" to marriage, while 25.1 percent said they are "not sure" whether they will get married.

In other words, about 34 percent of the young people surveyed no longer see marriage as a certainty. Even jokes and other posts on social networking sites, where "too tired to love" often trends, show that the youth are less inclined to have a relationship or get married.

Acknowledging that a problem exists is the first step toward solving it. That the Youth League is conducting surveys shows that organizations and government departments are trying to analyze a serious problem facing the country because of the rapidly rising aging population.

The reasons young people give for their choice is often the "fear of love", the high expectations that a marriage entails, and the other "risks" involved.

Generally, the high pressure and fast pace of daily life are seen as a deterrent to a serious relationship and marriage. Besides, weddings have become a very expensive affair.

Moreover, the internet, where people share their views, has also helped propagate fears about the responsibilities and restrictions that come with marriage.

But youths saying they do not want to marry now does not mean they will not "marry in the future". The best way to tackle the problem is to lessen the burden on the youth by, for example, taking measures to reduce the cost of living, so that it no longer deters people from marrying and having children, which is necessary to offset the effects of the rapidly increasing aging population.