The Difference Between the Actual and Ideal Number of Children Depending on Socioeconomic Status: An Analysis of National Fertility Survey Data in Japan

This study aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic status and the difference between the actual and ideal number of children. We used cross-sectional data from the National Fertility Survey for married couples conducted by the National Institute of Population and Social Security Research in 2015 and 2021. Combining files from both years, responses from a total of 12,632 couples were analyzed. A modified Poisson regression model was used to investigate associations between the outcomes and the socioeconomic characteristics of the studied couples. The two outcomes were having fewer children than ideal and having more children than ideal, and their proportions were 47.2% and 3.4%, respectively. Husbands and wives who were high school graduates were less inclined to have fewer children than ideal, and wives who were non-regular workers or unemployed were less inclined to have fewer children than ideal than wives who were regular workers. In addition, couples in the lowest household income group were significantly associated with a higher prevalence of having fewer children than ideal. These results showed being in the lower household income group was associated with a higher prevalence of having fewer children than ideal and suggested the need for support for low-income households.