55%的年轻人放弃恋爱”:韩国正在经历一场“情感大萧条”

A recent survey conducted by the Korean weekly Kyonghyang Shimmun involving 8,242 people from South Korea, China, Japan, the United States, and Spain shows that young South Koreans have the lowest level of interest in romantic relationships globally.  

近日《京乡周刊》发布的一项针对韩国、中国、日本、美国、西班牙五国8242人的调查显示，韩国年轻人对恋爱的兴趣程度处于全球最低水平。

Among unmarried people in their 20s in South Korea, 27.5% have never had a romantic relationship—31.9% for men and 24.9% for women—ranking second lowest among the five surveyed countries, only behind Japan’s 41.7%.  

在韩国20多岁的未婚人士中，从未有过恋爱经历的比例达到27.5%，其中男性为31.9%，女性为24.9%，在五个调查国家中仅低于日本的41.7%。

Among single and unmarried Koreans aged 18 to 39, more than half—55.4%—explicitly stated they have “no interest in dating,” a figure higher than Japan’s 54.2%, the United States’ 35.8%, Spain’s 29.2%, and China’s 24.7%.  

韩国18至39岁单身未婚群体中，超过半数，55.4%的人明确表示“对恋爱没有兴趣”，这一比例高于日本的54.2%、美国的35.8%、西班牙的29.2%和中国的24.7%。

The disinterest is particularly pronounced among Korean women: 60.8% of unmarried women say they have zero interest in romance, the highest rate among all demographic groups across the five countries.  

其中，韩国女性的冷淡程度尤为突出，60.8%的未婚女性表示对恋爱毫无兴趣，在五国所有群体中高居榜首。

What has made this generation lose its passion for love? The survey reveals the first key factor: employment. Data show that among young Koreans with no dating experience, 38.5% are unemployed, whereas among those with dating experience, the unemployment rate is only 12.9%—a gap of 25.6 percentage points.  

是什么让一代年轻人对爱情失去了热情？调查揭示的第一个关键词是就业。数据显示，没有恋爱经历的韩国年轻人中，38.5%处于失业状态，而有恋爱经历的年轻人失业率仅为12.9%，两者相差25.6个百分点。

The causal relationship between employment and dating may be bidirectional: a stable job gives one the confidence to date, while being unemployed makes dating itself a luxury. But regardless of causality, economic pressure has realistically pushed romance to the margins of young people’s lives.  

就业与恋爱的因果关系可能是双向的，稳定的工作让人有底气恋爱，而失业状态下恋爱本身就是一种奢侈。但无论因果如何，经济压力已经实实在在地把恋爱推向了年轻人的生活边缘。

Korean women are more likely to have experienced relationships and then concluded that there is no need to enter another one, whereas Korean men are more likely to have never had any romantic experience at all.  

韩国女性更多是在经历过恋爱后，认为没有必要再次进入恋爱关系；而男性则更多是从未拥有过恋爱经验。

Among those who expressed no interest in dating, the proportion of men who had never dated reached 70.9%, while for women it was only 48.1%. This means that many Korean men have not even obtained the “ticket” to enter the dating scene before being eliminated; meanwhile, a considerable number of Korean women have chosen to withdraw after having experienced it firsthand.  

在表示对恋爱不感兴趣的群体中，从未谈过恋爱的男性占比高达70.9%，女性仅为48.1%。这意味着，许多韩国男性连恋爱的“入场券”都没拿到过，就已经被淘汰出局；而相当数量的韩国女性则是体验过后主动选择退出。

Several years ago, the term “Sampo generation” (giving up dating, marriage, and childbirth) became popular. It later evolved into “Opo generation,” adding giving up homeownership and interpersonal relationships; now it has expanded to the “N-po generation,” where even dreams and hopes can be abandoned.  

早在几年前，“三抛世代”一词就已流行开来，年轻人选择抛弃恋爱、结婚和生育。随后演变为“五抛世代”，再加上抛弃买房和人际关系；如今更扩展到“N抛世代”，梦想与希望都可以放弃。

In its concluding remarks, Kyonghyang Shimmun noted that the survey data from all five countries consistently show: the more interested people are in dating, the higher their level of happiness.  

《京乡周刊》在报道最后指出，五个国家的调查数据共同显示：越对恋爱感兴趣的人，幸福感越高。

Korean young people are responding to a society that makes them “afraid to date” by choosing “not to date.” This is both a personal choice and a helpless sign of the times.  

韩国年轻人正在用“不恋爱”来应对一个让他们“不敢恋爱”的社会。这既是个人选择，也是时代的无奈。