Research on the influence that the needs of married couples have on family stability in Russia shows that there are marked differences in expectations in rural and urban areas. This article describes a sociological survey carried out in the territory of Rostov oblast in the spring of 2011. The basis for the study consisted of cities and rural communities in the oblast (the community of Zernovoi in Zernogradskii raion, the homestead of Uiutnyi in Proletarskii raion, and the cities of Novocherkassk and Azov). The unit of measurement chosen was married couples in which the partners' ages ranged from eighteen to twenty-nine. A total of 532 people were surveyed in a representative sample of 266 men and 266 women. Of that number, 460 lived in the countryside and 72 lived in the cities. Information was obtained via a questionnaire, formulated using the research of sociologists and psychologists who have studied problems of the stability of marriage and family relations. Since the purpose of the survey was to assess the influence of the needs of married couples on the family's stability, the primary interest was in factors that determine a family's well-being. The results provide evidence that the well-being of the husband and wife in young families depends directly on relations of trust between them. The article concludes that the spectrum of differences in marriage relations in the city compared to the countryside makes it essential to provide more detailed social and psychological help to the corresponding groups of young families. In putting together state and regional programs for the support of young families it is vital to draw up measures that will create the conditions necessary for the improvement of relations within families, taking account of the character of the place where the couple lives.