Introduction. Value orientations of student youth are an important indicator of the social health of society and its readiness for change. In the context of the Russian society ongoing transformation, traditional values, particularly, life, dignity, human rights and freedoms, hard work, patriotism, citizenship, justice, and especially family values, are of particular importance. The formation of traditional value orientations among young people contributes to a closer relationship between generations. In terms of the demographic policy implemented in Russia, special attention is paid to family values, the attitude of young people to family and marriage, and raising children. The relevance of research and the solution of these problems in modern Russian society is beyond any doubt.
Materials, methodology, and methods. The theoretical basis of the study is the works of the classics of sociology on the problems of values, primarily P. A. Sorokina, A. G. Zdravomyslov, Zh. T. Toshchenko and others. To study the value orientations of student youth, the attitude of young people to family and marriage, their formation and role in the life strategy of young people, a mass questionnaire survey and statistical methods were used. The empirical basis is the results of a questionnaire survey of student youth, conducted in mid-2024 among students at three universities in Yekaterinburg (Ural Institute of Management – RANEPA, Ural State Mining University and USUE). A total of 614 people were surveyed, 48% of them were boys and 52% were girls.
Results and conclusions. Value orientations of young people and family values seem to be important and significant for most of the surveyed students. At the same time, the predominant values for students are health and material security, favorable living conditions. Students mainly note material and housing problems as the key obstacles to marriage and creating their own family. Only a quarter of the respondents prefer to live with their parents, which can also serve as evidence of financial and housing difficulties in the families of full-time students, although living together with parents has a positive effect.
Discussion. The study showed that student youth generally adhere to the traditional value orientations, although economic conditions in society affect life strategies, in particular the desire for material security in life, self-realization in professional activities, career promotion, which negatively affects the attitude of young people to family and marriage. An important conclusion from the results of the study is the desire of students to adapt to economic reality by combining study and work, which can be accompanied by both positive and negative consequences.
Conclusion – a special demographic policy is needed for student youth, state support for student families.