This project seeks to sustain the social subjectivity of the family, by promoting Catholic associationism; with this objective, it provides an instrument and indicates a method to Family Associations involved in the civil sphere (and other possible subjects) for the development of cultural, social and political action in favor of the family founded on marriage, in schools, parishes, and the social media, at various levels and in different social structures; thus, through statistics, it shows to the public opinion and the political milieu in various countries that the essentially healthy family, even when it is not perfect, generates important social virtues and concretely benefits in many ways both individuals and society.
With this aim a scientific committee has developed a general tool for sociological research. The project includes two phases of implementation. The first is limited number of 6 sample countries (Italy, Spain, Poland, USA, Brazil and Mexico) and, if the experience has been successful, the second will extend it to all nations interested associating themselves. The results of the first stage will be presented at the VIIth World Meeting of Families in Milan.
The research follows two parallel paths. The first consists of collecting and studying socio-demographic data already available thanks to the reports of several national and international organizations, with consideration of consolidated scientific research in each of the thematic areas.
The second path is the application and study of a survey ex novo, which does not intend to deal with what is already well known about the socio-demographic phenomena in the context of the trends that change the family. In this part of the research, the attention is centered on particular aspects about which we know little or nothing.
It is hope that this process will permit us to acquire new knowledge about the family as a social resource with respect to: 1) the weight of the respondents current family is a social resource; 2) how the generational turnover is perceived; 3) the particular aspirations of the respondent in relation to a real family; and 4) the conditions that, according to the interviewee, are missing or should be modified to support an authentic family in his situation.
