Chinese netizens declare ‘sex recession’ among youths

While economists are still debating whether China’s economy is headed towards a recession, the internet has already declared a “sex recession” (性萧条) among Chinese youths.

A joint survey by Peking University and Fudan University on the private life of Chinese people recently went viral online. The survey, which polled approximately 7,000 people, revealed a declining level of sexual activity among the younger generation in China, with only about half among the post-95 generation reporting having sex weekly, a lower frequency than those born in the 1980s and early 1990s.

Also, among the post-95 generation of respondents who had a partner, 14.6% of men and 10.1% of women reported not having sex in the past year, significantly higher than those born in the 1970s and 1980s.

Although the survey was published in August 2022, its re-emergence in the media two years later suggests that this trend, instead of abating, is getting more obvious.

A decline in sexual desire is not unique to China. Taking Japan as an example, during the peak of the country’s economic bubble in the 1980s, 60-70% of men and women aged 18 to 34 were in relationships. After the bubble burst, Japan gradually evolved into a low-desire society; by 2015, over 70% of women and nearly 80% of men in their 20s were not in a relationship.

One of the survey’s initiators, Yu Jia, an associate professor at Peking University’s Center for Social Research, analysed earlier this year that the worse the economic situation, the lower the sexual activity among young people. She quoted the young Chinese people she had interviewed as saying that, amid intense social pressure, the pleasure derived from being in a relationship or having sex is no match for the joy of getting into graduate school or finding a good job.

This situation is reminiscent of the remarks made by Gao Shanwen, chief economist at SDIC Securities, at an investment seminar earlier this month.

Comparing the relationship between consumption growth and the degree of population ageing in various province-level administrative divisions after the Covid-19 pandemic, Gao concluded that the younger a province’s population, the slower its consumption growth; the older the population, the faster the consumption growth. He summarised this counterintuitive conclusion as a society “full of vibrant old people, lifeless young people and despairing middle-aged people”.

He elaborated that the elderly population with pension enjoys stable annual income growth and can continue to enjoy their twilight years square dancing. However, the younger generation is increasingly uncertain about their income growth; either unable to find jobs or finding those that fall significantly short of their expectations, leading them to “tighten their belts and eat instant noodles in the dark”.

While Gao was referring to the economic situation and consumer confidence, his observations also align with Chinese youths’ attitudes towards sex. If the younger generation is already exhausted from the daily grind and is “using up all their strength just to stay alive”, how much time and energy do they have left to meet other physiological needs or to develop an intimate relationship?

A sluggish economy dampens sexual desire, which directly results in declining birth rates. The resulting acceleration of population ageing in turn challenges the long-term economic development of this populous country.

Little wonder then, that at a lecture held last month at Renmin University of China, Russian and Central Asian studies expert Wang Xianju asked the keynote speaker, Kazakhstan’s state counsellor Erlan Qarin, not about Kazakhstan’s reforms — which was the theme of the lecture — or his field of expertise in international relations, but rather how to get female university students to “conscientiously and obediently” have more children earlier.

Qarin responded that he has six children, but “none were forced”. He emphasised: “Don’t force a woman to have children, or change her, or make her do what she doesn’t want to do.”

After this sparked widespread discussion on Chinese internet this week, Kazakhstan’s state media Kazinform posted seven Weibo messages describing how the country enhances women’s rights across different aspects, and even created a topic “how the development of women’s rights promotes prosperity for Kazakhstan”. Netizens joked that  “Kazakhstan is also going all out to distance itself from the Chinese academic who pressures women to have children”.

A Weibo post by Kazinform noted that during the early days of Kazakhstan’s independence, many women were reluctant to have children due to population migration and economic instability, with the national population only at 14.8 million in 2021. However, through continuous improvements in maternity benefits, economic empowerment of women and gender equality in education, the population has increased to 20.24 million this year.

In a speech in early December, Gao listed the challenges facing China’s economy, then pivoted to the good news that the 26 September Politburo meeting had begun to address economic growth issues and was preparing to take strong measures to resolve them.

However, the speech was soon removed from the internet, and Gao’s social media account was blocked. Chinese media reported this week that securities regulatory bureaus in various regions have instructed brokerage firms to tighten control over public statements, particularly from chief economists, analysts and fund managers. They have been told to avoid comments and actions that could spark negative public opinion.

Coincidentally, recent media reports on “sex recession” have been removed, and related discussions on social media have gradually disappeared.

Economic situation and population trends are closely linked, and the approach to addressing challenges in these areas should follow a similar rationale. Addressing the “sex recession” and boosting birth rates requires improving conditions for young people and empowering women, not treating them as reproductive tools. Similarly, stimulating the economy requires bolstering market confidence and protecting businesses, not using economists for propaganda.

The logic is simple and straightforward, but it is often easier said than done. As it is, even facing the issues has become increasingly challenging. Fortunately, economic conditions and population numbers are closely related to everyday life, and even if the narrative is spun differently, people can sense the reality through their daily experiences.

This article was first published in Lianhe Zaobao as ““性萧条”背后的经济账”.

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