To determine what adjustments the rural family will be making in the next 15 years, this study, a part of Project '80, examines past trends and future projections for the Michigan rural family. The first section on rural family living gives rural family characteristics which include information on transportation, communications, clothing, food, and housing. The second section on the changing roles of family members discusses (1) basic social trends affecting the family, (2) characteristics of the contemporary family, and (3) projections on the characteristics of the family of 1980. The third section on rural youth (1) considers the future role of extension education, informal, formal, and vocational education, (2) describes many aspects of the rural teenage culture, (3) anticipates what values will prevail among youth, and (4) discusses volunteer leadership and the role youth must prepare to fill. Related documents are ED 023 834 and RC 004 846. (AN)