Economic Development and Population Crisis: An fsQCA Analysis Based on the Pressure of Chinese Youth

In 2022, China experienced its first population decline since the 1960s, marking the emergence of a population crisis. This crisis is often attributed to the younger genera-tion's decreasing desire to have children, a trend influenced by economic develop-ment. Using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA), this study examines the configurational relationship between the pressures experienced by Chinese youth and the state of population development. Analyzing data from 2003 to 2021identifies a shift in China's population state from being 'led by economic development' to being 'driven by the accumulation of pressures'. The study reveals that although family and marital pressures are not the core conditions in the path configuration, they signifi-cantly influence the evolution of population development. Furthermore, the paper es-tablishes a correspondence between fertility policies and the path configuration, indi-cating that China's fertility policies significantly impact population development. The research suggests focusing on family and marital pressures, as well as fertility poli-cies, to develop practical solutions for the population crisis.