Soundbites

Lower-sized families can exert a complex influence on society, the economy and culture. For example, the trend means the family－as a social unit－sees its caregiving capacity for seniors decline. But it means more independence for young people. How, then, to meet the demand of the increasing number of seniors living alone? Smaller families mean more families, and that helps create more demand for cars, home appliances and furniture, a boon to economic growth but an obstacle to China's ambitious plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Zhuang Ya'er, a researcher with the China Population and Development Research Center

The family size figure should be treated as a result of past development, rather than a harbinger of a looming crisis. The data can be used to guide businesses to roll out new products meeting emerging demand－such as smaller apartments allowing children to live close to their parents while still living separately. Though bigger families are vanishing, new relations are popping up to replace the bonding that used to exist among extended family members. The so-called "interest groups" are mushrooming on social media, allowing strangers to dine or hang out together. It's not bad to split bills with like-minded strangers for a good meal, rather than to cook to meet the diverging tastes of family members.

Yang Yifan, deputy head of the National Interdisciplinary Institute on Aging at Southwest Jiaotong University