Eight in 10 Chinese want to have two children

Beijing, Mar. 27 (ANI): Nearly eight in 10 Chinese people want to have two children if the country's family planning policy permits, a new survey has claimed.

According to a poll conducted by the Beijing-based social research centre, the China Youth Daily, 77.5 percent voters said that having two children would be "perfect," while only 18.3 percent wanted a single child.

The one-child rule - introduced two decades ago - restricts only 35.9 percent of the population, mostly in large and medium-sized cities. Urban couples who are both the only children of the family, may have two children, the China Daily reports.

The poll also found that the majority of 6,183 respondents wanted to have children before the age of 30.

In contrast, 26.7 percent of respondents wanted to postpone having children to the age of 30 or later, so they can give priority to career development or to "enjoy time as a couple first".

"When is it time to have a child? We don't really think about it. We just take it as it comes," said Zhang Huinan, 24, who works for a vehicle detection and test station in Lin'an city of Zhejiang province.

The survey also found that 38.1 percent felt it was a "wise choice" to have children during post-graduate studies while 22.7 percent of the respondents said childbearing was actually a distraction and burden for students.

Almost 67 percent of those polled said their economic situation was paramount in deciding whether to have children or not. (ANI)