Of couples who married in Japan between July 2018 and June 2021, 13.6 pct had met online, such as through social media and matchmaking apps, according to a recent survey by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research.

The proportion of such couples came to only 6.0 pct for those who married between July 2015 and June 2018.

Meanwhile, the proportion of couples who had met through work stood at 28.2 pct for those who married in the earlier three-year period and at 21.4 pct for those who married in the later period.

The results are believed to be partly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which people have spent more time at home, including working from home.

The survey was conducted in June 2021, covering couples with wives younger than 55 years old and single people aged at 18 or older and under 55. Valid responses came from 6,834, or 73 pct, of the couples and 7,826, or 56 pct of the single people.

In the latest survey, the proportion of single people aged between 18 and 34 who think to be married some time in the future fell from the previous survey for both male and female respondents.

Respondents were also asked how many children they hope to have, and the average answer among both male and female respondents hit the lowest level since the survey started in 1982. Among female respondents, the average stood at 1.79, slipping below 2 for the first time.

Miho Iwasawa, head of the national institute’s demographic change research department, said the latest survey showed a further decline in willingness to build a family among people in Japan.

“People’s views on how valuable having children is may be changing,” Iwasawa pointed out.

JIJI Press