臺灣大學生的生育觀念、預期生育行為及其影響因素之研究

A Study on the Factors Associated with University Students’ Fertility Beliefs, Anticipated Fertility Behavior in Taiwan

在高等教育就學率有八成的狀況下，現今大學生的生育觀念與預期生育行為，反映的是未來十年少子女化的趨勢，以及政府未來可能面對的問題。因此，本研究以大學生為主要研究對象，深入探究以下兩個問題：一、當前大學生的生育觀念為何？是否傾向不願意生養小孩？；二、影響生育觀念和預期生育行為的因素為何？本研究採用網路問卷調查的方式，透過各校教師協助發放問卷連結至修課學生與導師班，自2019年1月17日至2月3日止開放供受訪者填寫，最後共計回收1,383份問卷。研究結果顯示：一、受訪大學生的預期生育數高於目前的總生育率，未來選擇生育的比例較高；二、生育價值方面持有較正面的態度，而生育代價及生育意願則傾向生育代價高、生育意願低的情形，男性比女性的生育價值及生育意願高，顯示當前女性自主意識較強，不見得將婚育視為人生目標；三、除性別差異外，大學生考量生育的重要因素分別為夫妻總收入及環境，若總收入、教育及治安環境條件較差，則生育代價會提高；愈重視職場友善者可能對於現今職場環境較不滿意，對於預期生育數呈現負面影響；四、理想結婚年齡設定於28～30歲者生育數會達到最高峰，超過30歲後則有明顯下降趨勢。本研究依據上述分析結果，提出相關政策建議，以期能對未來少子女化的趨勢有所改善。

With an 80% enrollment rate in higher education, the current fertility beliefs and anticipated fertility behavior among university students reflect a trend towards declining birth rates in the next decade, posing potential challenges for the government. Therefore, this study focuses on university students as the primary research subjects to investigate two main questions: First, what are the fertility beliefs of university students? Are they inclined to be unwilling to have children? Second, what factors influence fertility beliefs and anticipated fertility behavior? The study employed an online questionnaire survey, distributed with the assistance of teachers across various universities to enrolled students and advisor classes. The survey was open for responses from January 17 to February 3, 2019, and a total of 1,383 valid questionnaires were collected.

The research findings indicate the following: 1. The surveyed university students’ expected number of children is higher than the current total fertility rate, suggesting a higher likelihood of choosing to have children in the future; 2. Students hold positive attitudes towards the value of childbirth, but there is a tendency towards perceiving higher costs and lower willingness for childbirth. Male students exhibit higher values and willingness for childbirth compared to female students, indicating that current females have stronger autonomy consciousness and may not necessarily view marriage and childbirth as life goals; 3. Apart from gender differences, important factors influencing students’ considerations about childbirth are total family income and environmental factors. Lower total income, education, and security conditions lead to higher perceived costs of childbirth. Students who prioritize a workplace-friendly environment may express dissatisfaction with the current work environment, negatively impacting their fertility intentions; 4. The ideal age for marriage, set between 28-30 years old, corresponds to the peak fertility rate, which significantly declines after the age of 30. Based on the above analysis results, this study proposes relevant policy recommendations in the hope of improving the trend of fewer children in the future.