Young people find enjoying their leisure time more important than starting a family

More and more people under 30 find sport, hobbies and holidays more important than getting married and starting a family. One in two West Germans between the ages of 18 and 29 are no longer prepared to restrict their personal leisure interests in order to start a family. This trend reached a new high in 1994 - the "Year of the Family". (1985: 39% - 1988: 44% - 1994: 50%). This is the result of a recent representative survey of 2,000 West Germans aged 14 and over conducted by the B-A-T Leisure Research Institute comparing the years 1985, 1988 and 1994.

Young men under 30 are particularly opposed to marriage and family. A clear majority of them want to remain "free and independent" with the justification: You can also "live happily" without children and a family (1985: 49%, 1988: 52%, 1994: 58%). In contrast, the majority of young women under 30 (still) hold the opposite opinion: "For me, marriage, children and family are a task worth living for. There is also enough time for leisure interests in family life." However, the proportion of young women willing to marry is also becoming increasingly smaller (1985: 70%, 1988: 66%, 1994: 58%). Prof Dr Horst W. Opaschowski, Director of the B-A-T Institute: "We already predicted this a decade ago: The danger of a leisure culture that tends to be childless is looming for the future. Now the time has come. The number of young people of marriageable age who prioritise personal leisure activities over starting a family is constantly growing."

The new affluent generation on an ego trip

Getting used to the free life between consumerism and leisure activities is not without consequences. More and more German citizens are opting for a single life in which they can pursue their personal interests undisturbed. The number of single-person households is constantly increasing. The majority of singles of all ages no longer want to socialise their free and independent lives, and childlessness is on the rise," says Prof. Opaschowski. "This is an inevitable consequence of growing individualism, and not infrequently the East German population was also included in this survey for the first time in 1994 by the B-A-T Leisure Research Institute. Family orientation (56%) "still" dominates over leisure orientation (41%) among the younger generation under 30. However, there are already signs of a rethink among 20 to 24-year-olds: One in two (50%) would rather pursue their own leisure interests, which are more important to them than marriage, children and family. The fulfilment of family duties is also increasingly losing its social role model character in the new federal states. As in West Germany, there are fears of a loss of personal enjoyment of life.

Technical data of the survey

Number and representation of respondents in Germany:   
2,600 people aged 14 and over (2,000 West - 600 East)

Survey period: 21 to 29 April 1994