---
title: "About Half Say Parents Have Responsibility to Help Adult Child Financially"
description: "About half of the public believes parents have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an adult child if it’s needed."
date: "2012-12-28"
authors:
  - name: "Pew Research Center"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2012/12/28/about-half-say-parents-have-responsibility-to-help-adult-child-financially/"
---

# About Half Say Parents Have Responsibility to Help Adult Child Financially

![](https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2012/12/SDT-2012-12-20-generation-07.png)

A majority of adults from all age groups believe that adult children have an obligation to support their aging parents. Overall, 75% of the public says adult children have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an elderly parent if he or she needs it. Only 23% say this is not a responsibility.

But adults of all ages are much more reluctant to say parents have a responsibility to support their grown children. Overall, 52% say parents have a responsibility to provide financial assistance to an adult child if he or she needs it; 44% say this is not a responsibility.

Among young adults, many of whom may have found themselves in this very situation, 53% say parents have the responsibility to provide for their adult children, if their children need the support; 44% say parents do not have this responsibility. Young adults’ views on this issue are nearly identical to those of their parents’ generation.

Among adults ages 50 to 64, 54% say parents have a responsibility to provide for their adult children, while 43% say this is not a responsibility. Adults ages 65 and older have similar views: 57% say this is a responsibility and 35% say it is not. Adults ages 30 to 49 are somewhat less likely to say this is a responsibility: 47% say it is and 51% say it is not. [Read more](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2012/12/20/the-big-generation-gap-at-the-polls-is-echoed-in-attitudes-on-budget-tradeoffs/)