1996. ÉVI MIKROCENZUS Az élettársi kapcsolatban élők adatai (1998)

BEVEZETŐ

INTRODUCTION For several decades, between two consecutive decennial population censuses microcensuses have been carried out by the Hungárián Central Statistical Office, in order to survey changes having occurred ensuing to the former census. In the period following the 1990 census, such a data collection took place in April 1996, on a sample covering 2 percent of the housing stock and of the population. Special importance was attached to the 1996 microcensus owing to the economic systemic change which began in the late eighties and having been accomplished in the nineties. Only a sample survey comprising all strata of the population and allowing for a conveniently high degree of reliability within relatively narrow confidence intervals can establish in a complex way the impacts of these changes on the population, the scope and trends of changes. The results of the microcensus are being published by the Hungárián Central Statistical Office in a publication series. The volume "Population and Housing Characteristics" containing the most important data came out in early 1997. Somé of the publications containing more detailed data of the survey appeared recently. The publications containig detailed data deal with specific topics which expectedly arouse keen interest on behalf of institutions', experts' and researchers' part in the given domain. During the last two decades, traditional family patterns have been complemented by new forms of cohabitation. The best known of them is the family model based on consensual unión. The present publication sumarizes the main social characteristics of couples living in consensual unions without marriage, as well as the recent changes in these characteristics. A brief analyses are presented on the structure of consensual unions by number of children, main demographic, educational and occupational data, and housing conditions, comparing this increasingly popular type of family with the relevant characteristics of legally married couples. The Tables chapter ending by data according to counties and population size groups of localities, contains detailed data, too, besides the presentation of retrospective data. The use of the volume is facilitated by the explanation of concepts. 10