Attitudes about alternative families in Europe: the role of life-course experiences

Anne Solaz, INED
Laura Bernardi, Université de Lausanne
Dimitri Mortelmans , Universiteit Antwerpen
Anne-Rigt Poortman, Universiteit Utrecht
Julia Sauter, Université de Lausanne
Anja Steinbach, Universität Duisburg-Essen

Attitudes towards diverse families vary considerably, largely driven by beliefs about the consequences for children's well-being. Yet, little is known about what shape these attitudes. This paper examines how individual life-course experiences influence views on diverse families. Specifically, we analyse the role of personal experiences during childhood - measured by the family structure at age 15 - and in adulthood - proxied by current marital status and experience of previous separation – in shaping perceptions of child well-being within diverse family types, including single-parent, step-parent, and same-sex families. Drawing on data from the new “Attitudes toward family diversity” module of the European Social Survey Cronos-2 (2022), conducted across eleven European countries, we examine how people perceive children’s well-being in six alternative family types compared to the “traditional” non-separated two-biological parent (mother-father) families. Results indicate that one-parent families receive less societal approval than step-families or same-sex families. Level of support vary widely across regions - from about 40% in Central and Eastern Europe to around 85% in Nordic countries. Young people, women, and those raised in non-traditional families tend to hold more positive attitudes toward child well-being in such family types. Stepwise logistic regressions, controlling for age, gender, education, income, professional situation, and country- reveal that experiencing parental separation during childhood - and, to a lesser extent, in adulthood – is associated with greater confidence in child well-being within non-traditional families such as one-parent (mother or father) and lesbian families, but not in stepfamilies. Future analyses will explore country-specific patterns.

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 Presented in Session 50. How Beliefs and Attitudes Shape Life Courses