This two-volume work presents social cohesion and demographic challenges that are associated with low birth rates and population ageing. It does so from the perspective of citizens and key policy actors. The work analyses peoples’ attitudes about demographic trends and expectations towards private networks and public policies. It places these in the societal context of national specificities in the fourteen countries and regards them as part of the dynamics of the European integration process.

The book includes a CD-Rom with the methodological guidelines and the international database on about 34000 interviews conducted in Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania and Slovenia. This provides a unique opportunity for training and further analysis of national data.

This book is the outcome of the DIALOG research project, funded by the European Commission under the 5^th Framework Programme.