Families in Europe and elsewhere are becoming more complex, with an increasing number of couples living in unmarried cohabitation or experiencing a separation or divorce. The GGP provides data not only on actual family transitions, but also on norms and values regarding family-related behaviour. Figure 1 shows the attitudes towards marriage, cohabitation, single parenthood, and divorce for two countries: Sweden (data collected in 2012/13) and Poland (data collected in 2010/11). Swedes are generally more open to new family forms than Poles. Yet, country differences in attitudes about cohabitation are notably larger than, for example, single motherhood. Also, within countries large differences are found. While on average Swedes believe it is okay for a couple to live together without being married, they do not agree that marriage is an outdated institution. The Swedish case thus shows that the increasing acceptance of new family forms does not necessarily mean a rejection of more traditional family arrangements.
