Half of the children born under the mainland's one-child policy are keen to have at least two offspring of their own, according to an ongoing online survey by the nation's biggest internet portal. But about one-sixth of the 6,600 survey respondents born since the policy came into force did not want any children at all, the sina.com poll found. The one-child policy became a central government tenet in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Existing population policies in most parts of the nation allow couples to have two children if neither parent has any siblings. Forty-six per cent of respondents to the survey said they would like to have two children, with another 4.9 per cent preferring to have three or more. Gao Yuli, a 23-year-old Beijing insurance clerk, said she definitely wanted more than one child. 'As the only child, you have the full attention of your parents,' Ms Gao said. 'But once you have had enough of that, there is emptiness. Having a sibling can bring endless fun. 'I do not care about whether I have to work harder to support more than one child. I made the decision out of concern for my children's happiness.' Ms Gao's negative view of one-child families is shared by many of her peers. More than 60 per cent of the interviewees complained that being an only child was a lonely experience because there was 'nobody to share happiness or sadness'. But 42 per cent of the respondents admitted they enjoyed a richer material life due to the one-child policy because they did not have to share their families' assets.
