(ECNS) - A majority of young Chinese singles would rather wait for the right partner than settle for someone who was just OK, and half attributed their marital pressure to their parents, according to a survey reported by China Youth Daily.
Conducted by the Communist Youth League of China and an organization established by the China Social Work Association Working Committee on Marriage and Family, the survey canvassed 3,082 respondents.
Health and capability were listed as top criteria for both men and women when looking for a partner. In contrast to the traditional notion that marriage should be between partners of equal social rank, respondents cared relatively less about education background, family status and income.
In the survey, half said the biggest stress for singles came from pressure from family members to marry, followed by public opinion and self-generated pressure. While it’s hard to find the right person to marry in the short term, 70 percent said they would hold out for the perfect partner to come along.
The survey also showed 68 percent of men said they thought marriage made a life complete, while 49 percent of women held the same opinion. Meanwhile, 36 percent of women felt they could be single and happy, two times higher than the rate of similar-minded men.
While a majority said the most expected family model was to live with children, six percent preferred a double-income-no-kid family. Since China has adopted a two-children policy, nearly 60 percent said they would like to have two kids.
When it came to how to find the right partner, 73 percent preferred meeting someone at social gatherings organized by their employers or organizations, 11 percent liked social-networking apps and six percent, match-making websites.
The top three reasons believed to hinder the search for a partner were having a relatively small social network, a busy work schedule and an unwillingness to act first, according to the survey.
