Taiwanese share concerns

Nearly half the people in Taiwan, a poll has found, think child-rearing is too expensive for them to have even one child.

Of 1,216 residents of the island who responded to an online survey last month, 47.9 per cent said their financial situation was not good enough to support a child, while 39.6 per cent said they could afford to have just one child.

Only 11.3 per cent said they could afford to have two or more children.

About 40 per cent of the respondents said they would need to have at least NT$1,000,000 (HK$263,000) in savings before they could contemplate having a baby.

Many were found to have an attitude of 'wanting to have children, but being scared to do so'.

The poll report concluded that a majority of the working class in Taiwan put jobs before a child, and many fear that child-raising will affect their work.