Instead of a "seven-year itch," Chinese couples appear more likely to experience a "five-year itch" during their marriages, according to a survey published yesterday in The Beijing News.

In the poll of 74,000 people, almost one in five in their third to fifth year of marriage said that if given a second chance, they would not marry their current spouse.

Some said they might not have married at all.

Happiness and satisfaction among couples during this period were also at the lowest, the poll claimed.

Wives are more likely to be disgruntled than husbands, it said, adding that the situation is worse in families where husbands contribute little to the raising of the offspring. Children whose parents had a sound relationship were happier, the poll claimed.

The poll was sponsored by Peking University and the matchmaking company Baihe.

Most of the people polled got married between the ages of 22 and 28.

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