Marriage Delayed in Chinese Young People:The Impact of Downturn in Macroeconomic and Prevalence of Individualism

Abstract:Amidst rapid social transformation, the marriage behavior of young people in China are continuously changing toward marriage delayed. What are the factors contributing to the collective changes in marital behavior among Chinese young people? This study used the 2003-2021 China General Social Survey cross-sectional data and hierarchical age-period-cohort cross-classified random-effects model to investigate factors influencing marriage behaviors.The results show: macroeconomic growth was positively correlated with age at first marriage; Yet the wage growth rate was negatively correlated with age at first marriage in lower social classes and positively with marriage probability among farmers and individuals with low education levels. Influenced by individualism,individuals born during the 1980 and 1990 showed a significant increase in the age at first marriage compared to those born in the 1960s and 1970s. The macroeconomic and cultural changes in Chinese society have a profound impact on collective marriage behavior.