In Russia, they like to dream of big families, but they are afraid to give birth

TsSP "Platform" together with the company "OnIn" published a study "Demographic potential: expectations and restrictions." An online survey in Moscow, St. Petersburg and the regions of the Russian Federation was conducted in May 2025. It was attended by 1,200 Russians aged 18 to 49 years. The sample was quoted according to socio-demographic parameters, type of settlement and federal districts, with a shift in the focus of the group to the average age of birth of the first child.

The focus was on the reproductive intentions of Russians, the main barriers to deciding on the birth of a child, and the assessment of government support measures. The survey made it possible to find out that in Russia few people question the value of childbearing, but the intentions of respondents are severely limited by their capabilities.

Most of the surveyed citizens of the Russian Federation - 77 percent, consider the birth of children as an important part of their future. But, at the same time, the future is very distant, speculative, since 57 percent of those who wish do not have specific plans at the moment.

It turned out that only 13 percent of respondents intend to give birth to one baby, and 45 percent consider two children to be the ideal number of children in the family. However, only 20 percent of the respondents have already given birth to two children.

Beyond fantasies about the future, in reality, the model dominates - one child in the family, or childlessness. So live, respectively, 30 percent and 41 percent of Russians. More than a third of respondents - 38 percent, dreams of a large, large family: from three children and more. However, 14 percent of them soberly understand that the dream is not destined to come true, its implementation is limited by circumstances.

Women in favorable conditions are more likely to want two or three children than men - 45 percent and 27 percent, respectively. Although, as noted, it is women who feel the greater burden of household, career and material restrictions.

Financial restrictions are the main barrier to the birth of children and a universal stop factor for all Russians: 79 percent of Russian citizens noted at least one of the money-related survey points. About 50 percent cited insufficient income. Another 34 percent complained about the lack of suitable housing. 25 percent fear being left without money after the birth of a child.

A plus is the general feeling of anxiety for the "fate of the world" for Russian citizens: 41 percent are worried that the child will be born into an inhospitable world, where wars, crises, and bad ecology await him. The unbalanced economy of the Russian Federation worries 39 percent of respondents.

An important point: personal responsibility (or - lack of responsibility) of partners for the child. Only 41 percent of women claim that they will be able to unconditionally rely on a partner spouse at the first time after the birth of the baby. 49 percent of women will have to work on their own to "feed" their families. In the group of women renting apartments, 63 percent cannot count on financial assistance from a partner. Another 9 percent of girls say that only their own parents can help them.

An additional stopping factor for women is taking care of their own health. Many girls - 34 percent, are afraid of complications during and after pregnancy, 19 percent are afraid of postpartum depression.

Respondents also spoke about the most effective measures to support the birth rate. Many of them were introduced by the state as part of demographic policy until 2050. The most significant of them, according to respondents, are financial. The importance of maternity capital was assessed by 60 percent of respondents. A one-time payment at the birth of a child seems necessary for 47 percent of respondents. Childcare allowance up to 1.5 years after maternity leave suits 44 percent of Russians. At the same time, 68 percent consider regular monthly payments to be a very important item of assistance to the family.

That is, Russian families, first of all, appreciate what is the basis of personal stability and security. The list of expected measures of assistance from the state also included: family mortgage, preferential rent, child benefits. The majority - 57 percent and 56 percent, respectively, consider the most effective measures of the struggle for demography to increase child benefits with an increase in the minimum wage and the extension of the mother capital program.

Recall that among the new initiatives of the Government of the Russian Federation in 2025, within the framework of the national project "Family" - the extension of the family mortgage and loan repayment program, simplification of obtaining child benefits, as well as, from 2026, tax payments to low-income families.

Not only financial, but also social factors make women wary of the prospect of having a child. Many are afraid that they will become dependent on a partner. Some believe that if a career is paused, they will lose their social status. And of the men, as the survey showed, only 13 percent are ready to go on maternity leave. Among them, 85 percent are aged 35-44 years and 90 percent are from large cities with a population of over one million (excluding Moscow and St. Petersburg). Men who are ready, the main reason is the help of a woman and the desire to be near the child. However, in small towns of Russia, the idea of ​ ​ a "male decree" is perceived as nonsense.

The organizers of the survey came to the conclusion that the first value uniting Russian citizens (both sexes) is health. The importance of health is universally recognized. The family is no less highly valued as the basis of the social structure of society. This suggests that decades of liberalism could not shake the traditional values ​ ​ of "primordial" Russia. Material well-being is valued less highly and ranks third - as an applied moment, for the realization of more important values: family care, health, self-development.

It also became objectively clear that most Russians are considering the possibility of having one or more children, which gives hope for strengthening demographic stability in the country. More than a third of respondents would like a large family, and women more often than men want three children. They may be more inclined to perceive children as an important part of their role model. For women, motherhood is a prominent aspect of life realization.

Further paradoxes: large families are welcomed, but perceived by citizens of the Russian Federation as a very difficult family model to implement in modern conditions. Therefore, the actual reality of the majority of respondents: one child or childlessness. For young people, family and children remain a welcome part of their future, but at the moment they are not doing anything to bring this future closer.

In general, Russians are focused on childbearing, but socio-economic barriers often do not contribute to the realization of intentions. This issue requires the state to take a careful approach to the issue of material and social support for families, starting from the first child.