Published : 2026-02-16

Demographic Crisis and Family Breakdown in Poland. Personalist Diagnosis of Social and Cultural Transformations (2010–2025)

Abstract

Over the years 2010–2025, Poland has undergone profound demographic and cultural changes that reveal the deepening crisis of the family and marriage institution. This period was chosen deliberately, as it marks a full generational cycle – from the entry of post-transition cohorts into adulthood around 2010 to the demographic collapse visible in 2025. This article analyzes the relationship between demographic decline and the disintegration of the traditional family model in the light of Karol Wojtyła’s personalist anthropology, highlighting both sociological and educational dimensions. Based on GUS demographic data and CBOS sociological surveys, it demonstrates that the record fall in fertility (TFR 1.099 in 2024) reflects not only economic challenges but primarily cultural and axiological transformations – a shift from a personalist concept of love as a self--giving relationship to an individualistic understanding of autonomy. The study emphasizes that the demographic crisis cannot be fully explained by financial or structural factors alone. It results from deeper value changes visible among generations raised in the culture of individualism and media consumerism. In conclusion, the paper underlines that overcoming this crisis requires not only economic support but also a renewal of educational and media culture inspired by the personalist vision of the human person.

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personalism, family, marriage, demographic crisis, social order



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Krawiec, G. (2026). Demographic Crisis and Family Breakdown in Poland. Personalist Diagnosis of Social and Cultural Transformations (2010–2025). Roczniki Nauk Społecznych, (Online First). https://doi.org/10.18290/rns2026.0003

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Artykuły w czasopiśmie dostępne są na licencji Creative Commons Uznanie autorstwa – Użycie niekomercyjne – Bez utworów zależnych 4.0 Międzynarodowe (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)