Beijing: China's new two-child policy has evoked a poor response from young couples as they are reluctant to have a second child due to the high cost of living, an official survey has found.

The survey, conducted by state-run China Youth Daily among 3,000 people, more than half of them women, found that although 46 per cent of the respondents expressed a willingness to have a second child, 52 per cent said they are worried that having one more child would reduce the standard of living they now enjoy.