New recruits at a bank's hiring ceremony. (Jiji) UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' VISION OF THEIR FUTURE: Online Survey December 5, 2001 Half of Japan's university students want to enter a large corporation or continue on to graduate school, but only 17% of them want to work at the same company until they retire. Nearly 70% of them hope to get married by the age of 30, and a similar percentage want to have two or three children. This is the picture that emerged when Trends in Japan conducted an online survey concerning the attitudes of university students on employment, marriage, and family. Society has recently been undergoing major structural changes: Corporate employment systems are changing, as is the employment environment, and people are getting married later and having fewer children. Some of these changes were reflected in the answers of the young people who will lead a graying Japan into the future. Only 17% Want a Job for Life Trends in Japan surveyed 100 university students (50 men and 50 women) over a three-day period beginning October 5. The students were first asked what they intended to do upon graduation, and 28% said they wanted to "become a full-time employee at a large company." This was the number-one answer, showing that this remains a strongly-rooted trend. "Go on to graduate school" was the second-most popular answer, chosen by 22% of respondents. "Become a public servant" was selected by 9%, while "join a start-up company" and "work part-time" were each chosen by 4%. "Study abroad" was the answer given by 3%. Surprisingly, 20% of respondents answered "don't know," showing that a large number of students are unsure about their future course. [See graph 1] Looking at the results broken down by gender, the top choice of women was "become a full-time employee at a large company," which was named by 38%. The number-one answer given by men, however, was "go on to graduate school," selected by 30%. "Don't know" was chosen by 24% of men, but by only 16% of women, demonstrating greater uncertainty among men. Next, those who responded that they intend to work after graduation were asked how long they intend to stay at their first job. "Don't know" was the answer given by 20% of respondents (32% of men and 11% of women), garnering the top spot. "Until retirement" was chosen by just 17% of the students (26% of men and 11% of women). "Between 4 and 10 years" was also chosen by 17%. "Until I get tired of it" was the answer given by 11%, and "between one and three years" was the choice of 6%. "Between 11 and 20 years" and "until I can save some money" were each selected by 4% of respondents. Pollees were also asked how long they intended to work in their life, including any future jobs. "Until retirement" was the number-one choice of students, named by 25%. "Until I get tired of it" came in second with 16%, while "my whole life" was selected by 13%. "Between 4 and 10 years" was the answer given by 7%; "11 years or more" was named by 4%. Among men, the overwhelming choice was "until retirement," chosen by 50%. Women, however, were more divided, as 22% picked "until I get tired of it," and 19% said "my whole life." In the past, workers usually stayed at one company until retirement (or until marriage for many women), but there have been major changes in employment and the working environment recently. There is a growing move among companies to reevaluate the lifetime employment system, and an increasing number of people are changing jobs. The changing situation has led to changes in attitude that were reflected in Trends in Japan's online survey. Nearly 70% of Students Want to Marry by Age 30 Respondents were next asked about their attitudes concerning marriage, and 27% indicated that they wanted to get married "between the ages of 26 and 28," marking this as the most highly-desired age for marriage. Coming in second was "between graduation and age 25" with 26%. "At age 29 or 30" was selected by 14% of respondents, meaning that nearly 70% of the pollees wish to marry by age 30. Only 11% said that they did not want to get married. This trend was even more noticeable among women: 76% wish to get married by age 30, whereas only 6% do not want to marry. Even though more and more people are marrying later or not at all recently, the desire to do so seems deeply rooted among the young. [See graph 2]   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Those respondents who indicated that they hoped to get married were asked how many children they wanted. "Two children" was the number-one answer with 53%, and "three children" was selected by 30%. The percentages were nearly identical among men and women, and none of the students who hope to get married chose "no children." Of the students who said they do not want to marry, however, 54% answered either "don't know" or "no children," while "two children" was the choice of 27%, and "three children" was the answer given by 9%. Those who stated that they do not want to get married were asked the reasons why (multiple answers were given). The most frequent answer given was "being single is easier," cited by 73%. "I don't feel that I need to" was named by 36%, while "I just don't want to," "I don't want children," and "living together is fine" were each picked by 27%. All of the students were asked what they wanted their future spouse to do after marriage. The number-one answer given by women was "continue working forever," chosen by 86%, while 10% said "nothing in particular." "Nothing in particular" was the most common answer given by men, with 36%. Next was "work part-time," selected by 12%, while "continue working forever," "be a full-time housewife," and "quit working when children are born" were each chosen by 8%. While the attitudes of young people concerning work are undergoing a major shift, the changes in their feelings toward marriage are more modest. It appears as though the younger generation still considers marriage and family to be important. Copyright (c) 2001 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.