Trends in fertility preferences among Italian young adults

In examining Italy's low fertility rates, recent studies emphasize the role played by socio-economic factors, uncertainty, and welfare state. However, emerging research highlights a potential downward revision of fertility ideals among younger generations. Our study analyses fertility desires, expectations, and the perceived value of having children among young adults in Italy from 2012 to 2022. Findings reveal a growing tendency of being childfree and not expecting to have children in life. In particular, they indicate a nuanced demographic gradient: we observe a decline in fertility desires and expectations with age, and a significant increase in the likelihood of not desiring children for women. Educational background, which was positively associated with fertility desires at the beginning of the observational period, in post-pandemic shows a negative or null relationship. Our study highlights the need for robust, harmonized cross-country surveys to better understand new fertility ideals across different socio-demographic contexts.