A study by Romir and Yakov & Partners. Russians named factors influencing the decision to have a child.

12 July 2024

The higher the income of Russians, the higher their desire to have a child, and this desire increases most noticeably when the income rises to 80-120 thousand rubles.

 

Moscow, June 21, 2024. The main factor in the decision to have a child is financial opportunities (47%). Next in importance are such factors as the availability and quality of medical care (22%) and the desire to have children (22%), and state support was only in fifth place (15%). These conclusions were reached by the experts of Yakov & Partners and ROMIR research holding within the framework of the next joint report "New Russian Society: Dynamics of Citizens' Attitudes".

 

The study was conducted in May 2024 on the basis of the ROMIR Longitudinal System - a social measurement system that allows analyzing "moods" in society in dynamic development, taking into account all features and segmentations by socio-demographic characteristics, lifestyle, values and other criteria.

 

Answering the question "Are you going to have a child in the foreseeable future?", 16% of respondents answered in the affirmative, with 7% admitting that they will do so within the next year.

 

Respondents from generation Y (20-37 years old) are the most likely to want to have children, and generation X (38-58 years old) are the least likely to want to have children. At the same time, the experts noted a remarkable pattern: the more income the respondents have, the higher their desire to have children. Most noticeably (from 16% to 23%) the share of those who want to have a child increases when moving from an income level of 20-80 thousand rubles per month (85% of Russians belonged to this category in 2023) to a level of 80-120 thousand rubles per month. When the level of income exceeds 120 thousand rubles per month, the share of those wishing to have a child continues to grow, although not so intensively, and reaches 26%.

 

As for territorial distribution, respondents from small settlements with a population of less than 100 thousand people (22%) are more inclined to have children. The greatest desire to have children was registered among residents of the Far Eastern Federal District (24%), the lowest - among residents of the Siberian Federal District (13%).

 

"For all respondents, regardless of their age, income level and place of residence, the main factor in deciding to have a child remains financial opportunities. At the same time, the factors influencing the decision to have a child are almost the same for women and men," comments Elena Kuznetsova, Director of the Yakov & Partners Institute and co-author of the study. "For respondents aged 18-19 years old, the quality of education (25%) and the possibility of combining family life with a professional career (25%) are also among the main factors. And for the surveyed residents of million-strong cities, with the exception of Moscow and St. Petersburg, the second most important factor is safety for the child (23%)," she added.

 

According to Inna Karaeva, executive director of ROMIR, the survey showed that the most effective measures of state support aimed at increasing the birth rate are improving the conditions of maternity leave (35%), improving the availability and quality of medical care (34%), and increasing maternity capital (33%), while the promotion of large families ranks last among all factors (18%). "At the same time, the importance of factors differs for respondents from different categories," she explained. - For women, improving the conditions of maternity leave (52%) and the quality of medical care (49%) are significantly more important, for respondents aged 20-37, the top factors include improving the availability of kindergartens and circles (24%), and for zoomers, the expansion of the family mortgage program (35%). In the federal districts with the lowest percentage of those wishing to have children (Southern, North Caucasus and Siberia), such factors as increasing the availability of kindergartens and circles (32%) and expanding the family mortgage program (23%) play a significant role".

 

A joint study by Yakov & Partners and the ROMIR research holding also examined the degree of readiness of respondents to move to small towns with a population of up to 100 thousand people. Experts note that the main factors influencing the decision to move are comfortable urban environment (42%), high wages (41%) and quality housing (40%). Young people are expected to be the most mobile: up to 48% of respondents aged 18-19 are ready to move to small towns. However, all factors are important for them, from comfortable environment to the proximity of cultural and sports centers.

 

The older generation is the least mobile, but 32% would consider moving to small towns, provided they have a comfortable urban environment.

if they had a comfortable urban environment, and 30% would consider moving to small towns if they had comfortable housing. For affluent Russians, including residents of Moscow and St. Petersburg, moving to a small town is possible if they can live in their own home there (38%).


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