Abstract
<jats:p>This article presents the results of a sociological study of modern youth’s perceptions of marriage and the key factors influencing marital choice. The empirical research was conducted in Yekaterinburg among 150 students aged 16 to 30 with different levels of education using an online survey and six in-depth interviews. The study reveals the main motives for choosing a partner, attitudes toward cohabitation, the planned age for starting a family, as well as views on the distribution of marital responsibilities and factors contributing to marital stability. The results show that young adults generally have a positive attitude toward unregistered marriages, viewing them as a stage for testing the relationship; most of them plan to marry between the ages of 24 and 30, and clearly prioritize emotional and spiritual compatibility over material and status-related characteristics. The study identifies the emergence of an egalitarian model of family roles and the prevalence of traditional (offline) partner-search strategies within one’s own social environment. The findings confirm the dominant role of emotional factors in the marital behavior of young adults.</jats:p>