Daily Research News Online no. 1891 - Attitudes Towards Marriage and Family in Central Europe

Attitudes Towards Marriage and Family in Central Europe

September 25 2002

According to the Marriage 2002 Study recently published by Taylor Nelson Sofres, mutual respect, trust and fidelity are the key ingredients to a happy marriage within Central Europe. Consumers in this region are also confident that getting married does not mean giving up on romance or losing your freedom. The majority also believe that it is acceptable for a wife to be older than her husband and for couples to live together without being married.

The research, conducted through TNS' Omnimas service, surveyed over 4000 people in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Respondents across the region rated mutual respect and trust as the most important factor in a successful marriage, giving it a rating of 4.78 (on a scale of 1-5, where 5 denotes maximum importance). Hungarians valued respect and trust most highly (4.87) followed by the Poles (4.84). The second and third most important factors regionally were faithfulness (4.72) and common understanding (4.62).

Having the same religious beliefs or having similar social and educational backgrounds were rated as the two least most important factors in making marriages succeed (rated 3.10 and 3.14 respectively). Respondents in Hungary and Poland were more concerned about these two issues than their counterparts in Slovakia and the Czech Republic. Polish respondents were the most concerned across the region about religious background (3.75) while the Hungarians were the country most concerned with social background (3.53).

Good sexual relations in a marriage are of most concern to the Poles (rated 4.51) and least concern to the Czechs (3.98). There is a similar difference between the Poles and the Czechs when it comes to equal division of housework (4.09 v. 3.58).

Only one out of ten Central Europeans thinks that a marriage is the end of romance. This opinion is strongest among Czechs (19 per cent) and weakest among Poles (4 per cent). The Poles are also the most accepting nation when it comes to women marrying younger men (82 per cent compared to 50 per cent of Slovakian respondents).

Half of the respondents in the region believe that it is acceptable for unmarried couples to live together. However the Slovaks are most conservative in this respect (37 per cent) compared to the Poles who are most tolerant (59 per cent). Furthermore 21 per cent of Central Europeans expects women to give up their jobs when they become mothers.

There is a considerable difference in attitudes across the region towards couples who choose not to have children. In Slovakia, Czech Republic and Hungary less than 30 per cent approve such decisions, with twice as many Poles (59 per cent) disapproving of childless couples.

Gabor Duranszkai, Managing Director of TNS Hungary, commented, 'There are clearly differences in people's attitudes towards marriage and married life across Central Europe. Many are related to national culture and traditions or religion, but in general, recipe for a good marriage is similar across all countries and based on traditional values: respect, trust, faithfulness and love.'

The Marriage 2002 Study report is available from the TNS website www.tnsofres.com/freereport.cfm

Omnimas is a face-to-face omnibus conducted by Taylor Nelson Sofres in Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the UK. The Marriage 2002 Study was undertaken in July and August 2002. In each country a representative national sample of approximately 1000 people aged 15+ was surveyed.