China Conducts Nationwide Population Survey As Its Birth Rate Dips
China is set to conduct a survey to understand population changes in the country. The survey will cover 1.4 million people and will begin on Wednesday, focusing on both urban and rural areas. The poll will last for two weeks, ending on November 15th, and will be based on a sample of 500,000 households. The survey will help the government and the Communist Party formulate population-related policies.
China's birth rate has been declining, and the country reported its first population drop in over six decades in 2022. This survey will provide a basis for monitoring population changes. In November 2020, China conducted its once-in-a-decade census, which revealed the slowest population growth rate since the first modern population survey conducted in the 1950s.
Population development in China has been linked to the country's strength and "rejuvenation" in state media, but the declining birth rate and difficulties in raising children have caused widespread concern among citizens. High childcare costs and traditional stereotypes of women caring for children have resulted in many women avoiding having children or limiting the number of children they have. Authorities have increased rhetoric on sharing the duty of child-rearing, but paternity leave is still limited in most provinces.
