(ECNS) - More than 70 percent of people attribute a rise in divorce rates to materialism amid an almost four percent increase in registered divorces in 2014, according to the China Youth Daily on Thursday.
Based on data released by the Ministry of Civil Affairs, approximately 3.64 million marriages ended in divorce in China in 2014, a 3.9 percent increase from 2013.
The survey of 1,875 individuals by China Youth Daily and a consulting company called ePanel shows that 71.9 percent of interviewees believe overall materialism and fickleness in society are responsible for the breakups.
Furthermore, 60.9 percent attribute it to couples being intolerant and incapable of managing daily issues; 55.9 percent to a shift in public perceptions of marriage; and 53.7 percent to "flash marriages," a term that describes a marriage between partners who wed after knowing one another for a short time.
In terms whether there are more divorces now than before, 54.8 percent believe the number of divorces has slightly increased, while 22.5 percent think the growth is significant, and another 36.3 percent consider "splash divorces" to be common.
The survey also finds that 61.2 percent of respondents think personality comes into play for divorce, emerging as the No.1 reason for a marriage split. One in five believe domestic violence leads to marriage failure.
Chen Youhua, a professor at Nanjing University, says there is more temptation in contemporary marriages, as social media gives people more opportunities. Chen also suggests that China should provide more legislative protection for the weaker partner in a divorce, which is often the female.
