An Exploratory Study of Dating and Marital Preferences Among Chinese Young Adults

Abstract

Based on a study of dating and marital preferences that had been conducted in China over 15 years ago, Chinese young adults ranging in age from 16 through 30 years old were asked to rank-order nine marital assets (i.e., character and temperament, health, appearance, education, height, age, future earning potential, family background, and virginity) and eight personal traits (i.e., intelligence, honesty, loyalty, kindness, romanticism, industriousness, dependability and humor) in descending order of importance to them in a future spouse. In addition, preference for dating and marrying a foreigner (non-Chinese) was also explored. Statistical analyses revealed several significant differences in the rank-order of both marital assets and personal traits across several sociodemographic variables. Marriage still appears to be very much a practical matter in China and something of a joint endeavor between parents and child. Despite popular belief, a strong preference for dating and marrying a foreigner was not evident in this study. Recommendations for continued research in this area focus on methodological issues, particularly the limitations of using convenience sampling through a online survey.