YOUNG PEOPLE AND COHABITATION – EXPERIENCES AND ATTITUDES

Cohabitation has become an important form of romantic partnership, gaining momentum especially over the last several decades and specifically among young people. Their cohabitations can be seen either as a probationary, premarital period or as an alternative lifestyle. Several studies examine various aspects of cohabitation in contemporary Serbia. However, there is a lack of studies on the subject of young people’s experiences and perception of cohabitation. This study aims to analyze: a) the prevalence of cohabitation among young people, b) their attitudes towards cohabitation and c) the sociological profile of those who cohabit. The research goal is to provide a sociological explanation of the factors that shape young people’s experiences of cohabitation as well as their perception of it (both as a specific form of partnership and in comparison to marriage). According to the main hypothesis, there is a discrepancy between young people`s experience and perception of cohabitation. There are three supporting hypotheses: a) few young people cohabited, b) young people have generally positive attitude towards cohabitation and c) cohabitation experience and perception depend on key socio-demographic and economic characteristics of the respondents. The characteristics of young people’s experience and attitudes towards cohabitation were analyzed based on data collected in 2024 through a survey. The sample includes 989 respondents, aged 18 to 34, living in the Autonomous province of Vojvodina, Republic of Serbia. An online questionnaire consisting of 40 questions was initially distributed via social networks (snowball sampling). Data analysis was conducted in SPSS 26.0, using basic statistical methods (descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient, non-parametric tests) and principal component analysis. Results supported the main and supporting hypotheses. For the young people, cohabitation is more an acceptable idea than a realistic practice, which questions the scope of de-standardization of the life trajectory of young people in contemporary Serbia.