Similarities and differences between two cohorts of young adults in Italy: Results of a CATI survey on transition to adulthood

This paper analyses the results of a CATI survey, consisting of a representative national sample of 3083 young Italian people of two different generations: those aged 23-27 and 33-37 in the first half of 2004. The analysis is targeted particularly at the older cohort and examines the late transition to adulthood and its effect on fertility. Is the situation in Italy converging towards the European one? We also analyse transition processes to all "life course" events as interrelating mechanisms, in which each process is the premise for the next step, but in which they are all probably considered indispensable in choosing to have a child. The results suggest the spread of new family forms among youth, but a persistent delay in family formation