Family as a Basic Value in the Consciousness of School Youth

In this article, we will delve into two key aspects: the family as a fundamental and prioritized value within everyday values and the aspirations of young people regarding marriage. The sociological analysis is grounded in the outcomes of public opinion surveys and research conducted in the first and second decades of the 21st century. Throughout the 20th century and the initial decade of the 21st century, family and contented family life consistently held the top spot among the life goals of Poles, standing out as one of the most cherished values. However, in the course of the accelerated transformation of Polish society, success or a thriving professional career is emerging as a distinct life value for young Poles, competing to some extent with the significance attributed to family. Notably, around 60% of respondents among school youth express a commitment to formal marriage in their future plans.

Attitudes of Schoolchildren towards Bioethical Morality

In our discussion of the social narrative, we address such issues as in vitro fertilization, human cloning and gender reassignment. These diagnoses are based on the results of sociological studies and nationwide surveys carried out in the two decades of the 21st century. In the past few years, the views of schoolchildren on bioethical issues have undergone progressive liberalization. Diverse views on important bioethical issues were found among Polish high school students surveyed in November and December 2022 and January 2023. In vitro fertilization was judged acceptable by 63.8% of the surveyed schoolchildren, “it depends” – 17.2%, unacceptable – 7.4%, difficult to say – 11.6%; human cloning (respectively) – 25.7%, 21.7%, 21.9%, 30.7%; gender reassignment – 42.2%, 15.7%, 28.3%, 13.8%. The average rate of bioethical issues analyzed was as follows: acceptable – 43.9%, “it depends” – 18.2%, unacceptable – 19.2%, difficult to say – 18.7%. Combining the first two responses, we get a rate of 62.1% of those who allow these behaviors as excusable (permissible). The Catholic Church’s position on bioethical issues was supported by slightly more than a fifth of the schoolchildren surveyed.

Attitudes of school youth towards homosexuality and adoption of children by homosexual couples

In our considerations, we address two issues in the social narrative: homosexuality and adoption of children by homosexual couples. The basis for these diagnoses are the results of nationwide surveys and sociological research carried out in the two decades of the 21st century. Especially in the second decade of the 21st century, the views of school youth on bioethical issues were subject to progressive liberalization (secularization of morality). In nationwide research at the turn of 2022–2023, conducted among secondary school students, it was found that homosexual relationships were rated as permissible by 50.7% of the surveyed school youth, “it depends” – 12.0%, unacceptable – 24.4%, hard to say – 12.9%; adoption of children by homosexual couples (respectively) – 41.0%, 17.6%, 29.9%, 11.5%.