[Demographic and ideational change in the European Community]

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Family formation patterns are influenced by complex socioeconomic and ideational factors.
• Understanding fertility decline requires examining both economic opportunities and cultural value shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the interplay between economic factors and ideational trends in shaping family formation.
• To analyze value orientations related to non-conformism and parenthood across different demographics and countries.
• To explore theoretical links to fertility decline theories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the international data set of the European Values Studies.
• Developed and analyzed scales for tolerance towards non-conformism and the meaning of parenthood.
• Examined correlations between these scales and other value orientations (religiosity, morality, etc.).

Main Results:

• Identified a tolerance scale for non-conformist behaviors (divorce, abortion, single parenthood, non-marriage).
• Found that value orientations regarding non-conformism and parenthood are linked to religiosity, morality, political leanings, and materialism.
• Established theoretical connections to Easterlin and Simons' theories on Western fertility decline.

Conclusions:

• Family formation is a product of both economic opportunity structures and evolving ideational trends.
• Ideational factors drive long-term demographic trends with cohort variations, while economic factors create period fluctuations.
• Value orientations significantly correlate with attitudes towards non-conformism and parenthood, impacting fertility.