Family Values and Marital Attitudes of Youth: Normativity and Transformations (Based on the Results of an Empirical Study of the Youth of Kazan)

The relevance of the study is due to profound changes in the socio-cultural structure of society that affect the marital and family sphere. Young people, being shaped under conditions of globalization, digitalization, and social instability, are faced with the need to reconsider traditional scenarios of married life, which forms new approaches to understanding family values and marital attitudes.
The aim of the study was to identify the features of family values and marital attitudes of youth, to determine the trends and factors of their normativity and transformations in modern conditions. The research tasks include the analysis of youth’s ideas about marriage and family, and the assessment of the influence of social, economic, and digital factors on the formation of marital attitudes.
The empirical base comprises the results of a mass online survey of the youth of Kazan (n=884, age 18–35 years) and a series of informal interviews (n=22). The results show that the family is still perceived by young people as the main value, and official marriage remains a priority model of relations for a significant part of them; however, an increase in preferences for cohabitation without official registration is also recorded. Key factors in the transformation of marital attitudes are identified: economic instability (lack of housing, income), digitalization (online platforms, social networks), psychological readiness, and weakening of parental pressure.
The scientific novelty of the study is due to a comprehensive analysis of the factors transforming family values and marital attitudes of youth in a modern large Russian city, drawing on classical sociological theories of marriage. The practical significance lies in the possibility of using the results to develop measures of social support for the family and to adjust youth family policy at the regional level.

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