Challenges for European family and fertility research

Abstract

This chapter deals with challenges for fertility and family research in Europe. It discusses five major areas in which enhanced research efforts could make considerable contributions to the understanding of present and future fertility and family development: the development of more accurate measurements of fertility, the inclusion of institutions and institutional changes in micro-level fertility and family research, a more nuanced approach to values and cultural aspects in demographic investigations, and the need for theory development. The contribution also calls for better longitudinal, cross-national surveys, more qualitative research, and the development of better in-depth indicators grasping decision making processes and factors influencing them.