The determinants of marriage and cohabitation in Europe

According to the theory of ideational shifts [Preston 1986], the growing spread of new forms of life as a couple may be attributed to the increase in individual autonomy in the ethical, religious and political field, i.e. to changes in the scale of subjective values. The cultural dimension influences the acceptance and experimentation of the different forms of union in a different way for the man and for the woman. The importance at the explanatory phase of taking account of ideational factors in addition to economic ones has been discussed in depth and demonstrated in the case of certain countries of central Europe by Lesthaeghe and Moors [1996]. And it is the framework of Lesthaeghe and Moors which we take as our starting point in this study, for the analysis from a gender perspective of the role played by value orientations in the choice of the various forms of life as a couple, marriage and cohabitation, in certain areas of Europe. In particular, cohabitation will be taken as representing that type of partnership which, at least theoretically, is associated with a reduction in gender differences: indeed, the absence of pre-established roles for the partners should render the relationship within the couple more egalitarian and free. Moreover, in consideration of the fact that the various European countries exhibit a distribution of types of union which is extremely differentiated [Kiernan 2000], we wish to assess whether there is any corresponding existence of similarly differentiated ideational factors; indeed, we cannot necessarily assume that the same value orientations lead to similar patterns of behaviour [Lesthaeghe 1998].

The determinants of marriage and cohabitation in Europe

According to the theory of ideational shifts [Preston 1986], the growing spread of new forms of life as a couple may be attributed to the increase in individual autonomy in the ethical, religious and political field, i.e. to changes in the scale of subjective values. The cultural dimension influences the acceptance and experimentation of the different forms of union in a different way for the man and for the woman. The importance at the explanatory phase of taking account of ideational factors in addition to economic ones has been discussed in depth and demonstrated in the case of certain countries of central Europe by Lesthaeghe and Moors [1996]. And it is the framework of Lesthaeghe and Moors which we take as our starting point in this study, for the analysis from a gender perspective of the role played by value orientations in the choice of the various forms of life as a couple, marriage and cohabitation, in certain areas of Europe. In particular, cohabitation will be taken as representing that type of partnership which, at least theoretically, is associated with a reduction in gender differences: indeed, the absence of pre-established roles for the partners should render the relationship within the couple more egalitarian and free. Moreover, in consideration of the fact that the various European countries exhibit a distribution of types of union which is extremely differentiated [Kiernan 2000], we wish to assess whether there is any corresponding existence of similarly differentiated ideational factors; indeed, we cannot necessarily assume that the same value orientations lead to similar patterns of behaviour [Lesthaeghe 1998]

Data on the potential of nutrition-information apps from a consumer behaviour perspective

This paper presents data on the influence of the use of a nutrition-information app (Edo) on healthy eating. The methodology adopted included a baseline (t0) and a follow-up online questionnaire (t1). The first survey was sent to 7000 consumers who had already downloaded the app. This survey collected data on users\u2019 perceived healthiness of their own diet, food purchasing habits, sociodemographic information, concern for appearance, perception of the Health Belief Model constructs, and objective and perceived healthy food knowledge. The follow-up survey (t1) was sent to the respondents who had used the app for 12 weeks. It collected data on app satisfaction, recommended additional app features, consumers\u2019 perception on the Health Belief Model constructs, and consumers\u2019 objective and perceived healthy food knowledge. Data elaboration included two factor analyses elaboration, one for t0 data and one for t1 data. The aim was the identification of constructs as latent factors of the data. The value of each construct was calculated and compared between t0 and t1. The data presented in this article can help the replication of studies about similar apps and enhance the cooperation among app developers, consumer behaviour scientists, nutritionists and marketing experts for apps development. For conclusion and interpretation of data, the original article can be consulted (DOI:10.1016/j.foodres.2019.108766)

Longevity pattern in Emilia Romagna (Italy) in a dynamic perspective

In this paper, we investigate the pattern of longevity during the last 15 years in Emilia Romagna, a North-Eastern region of Italy, at a municipality level. We consider a specific index of extreme longevity based on people aged 95 and over in two different periods (1995-1999 and 2005-2009). Spatio-temporal modeling is used to tackle at both periods the random variations in the occurrence of people 95+, due to the increasingly rareness of such events, especially in small areas. This method exploits the spatial proximity and the consequent interaction of the geographical areas to smooth the observations, as well as to control for the effects of a set of regressors. As a result, clusters of areas characterized by high and low indexes of longevity are well identified and the temporal evolution of the phenomenon can be depicted. In a parallel analysis, we consider the past levels of mortality on the same cohort of individuals reaching 95 years and over in the second period and when they were aged 80-89 and 90-99. Within this longitudinal framework, the longevity outcome is modeled by a spatial regression. The area-specific structures of mortality are included as regressors, whose effects represent the causal link between the occurrence of people 95+ and the causes of death in the same cohort

Does socioeconomic status matter? The fertility transition in a northern Italian village (marriage cohorts 1900‒1940)

Background: The paper explores the mechanisms of the European fertility transition in northern Italy by social group. Objective: Our objective is to understand when and in which sectors of a rural society the reduction of family size began. We focus on Emilia-Romagna, a region that in the 1990s had the lowest fertility level in Italy. The core purpose of this paper is the analysis of socioeconomic status (SES) fertility differentials, especially between rural sharecroppers and landless rural workers, as well as other non-agricultural groups. Methods: Our analysis focuses on the reproductive histories of marriage cohorts in the years 1900‒1940. We perform a micro-level statistical analysis of legitimate births of parity 1+. Results: In this period fertility decline has just begun, and shows a strong decline in the post-WWI marriage cohorts. Although nonagricultural groups lead the downward trend in family size, the role of socioeconomic status means that the path of sharecropper households is atypical. Conclusions: The fertility transition proceeds by means of spacing and stopping, testifying to a new attitude towards birth control, which agricultural and nonagricultural social groups adopted in different ways. Usually, the decline in fertility progresses from nonagricultural to rural classes. In the rural world the path is inverted, going from the lower to the upper groups. Contribution: The paper contributes to the debate on the links between socioeconomic status and fertility transition in Italy. It shows that the link between household economy and control of fertility is specific to SES groups, which can follow atypical paths, compared to the known reference model. The use of microdemographic data provides evidence for the hypothesis that the fertility transition can be shaped by the specific social and economic characteristics of population subgroups