---
title: "Extracted: Family Caregiving in an Aging America – Topline"
description: "1PEW RESEARCH CENTERwww.pewresearch.org 2025 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANELWave 178: Survey on AgingSeptember 2-8, 2025 TOPLINEN=8,750 Note: All numbers are percentages unless otherwise noted. Percentages less than 0.5% are replaced by an asterisk (*). A hyphen (-) indicates that the sample size for a given subgroup is too small to report for that question. […]"
date: "2026-03-06"
authors:
  - name: "Kim Parker"
    job_title: "Director, Social Trends Research"
    link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/kim-parker/"
url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/topline/extracted-family-caregiving-in-an-aging-america-topline/"
ocr_provider: "gemini"
ocr_confidence: "95%"
extraction_date: "2026-03-06 23:50:50"
source_url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2026/02/ST_2026.2.26_family-caregivers_topline.pdf"
parent_article: "https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/02/26/family-caregiving-in-an-aging-america/"
---

# Extracted: Family Caregiving in an Aging America – Topline

1
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
[www.pewresearch.org](http://www.pewresearch.org)

**2025 PEW RESEARCH CENTER’S AMERICAN TRENDS PANEL**
**Wave 178: Survey on Aging**
**September 2-8, 2025**

**TOPLINE**
**N=8,750**

**Note: All numbers are percentages unless otherwise noted. Percentages less than 0.5% are replaced by an asterisk (*). A hyphen (-) indicates that the sample size for a given subgroup is too small to report for that question. Rows/columns may not total 100% due to rounding.**

**“No answer” includes web respondents who do not answer the question as well as telephone respondents who refuse to answer or who say they don’t know how to answer. In cases where “not sure” was offered as an explicit option to web and telephone respondents, the “no answer” category includes only web skips and telephone refusals.**

This survey was conducted primarily online, with some interviews conducted by live telephone. This topline shows the programming language for online administration. For details on how questions were slightly modified for phone administration, visit the questionnaire.

American Trends Panel surveys conducted between October 2016 and June 2024 were conducted fully online (with tablets and data plans provided to adults without home internet).

PN = Programming note

|  | Sample size | Margin of error at 95% confidence level |
| --- | --- | --- |

| All adults | 8,750 | +/- 1.4 percentage points |

| Under 65 | 6,156 | +/- 1.6 percentage points |

| 65 and older | 2,582 | +/- 2.4 percentage points |

## ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

## AGINGPAR

> [ PN: DO NOT RANDOMIZE ITEMS ]

**ASK ALL:**

Do you have a living parent in any of the following age ranges?

|  |  | Yes, one | Yes, more than one | No | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. | Age 64 or youngerSep 2-8, 2025 | 14 | 17 | 63 | 6 |

| b. | Age 65 to 74Sep 2-8, 2025 | 14 | 10 | 68 | 7 |

| c. | Age 75 or olderSep 2-8, 2025 | 16 | 7 | 70 | 7 |

2

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

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## SPOUSEAGE

> ASK IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH A PARTNER (X_MARITAL=1,2) [n=5,686]:1

Is your spouse or partner...

|  | Sep 2-8, 2025 |
| --- | --- |

| Age 18 to 49 | 49 |

| Age 50 to 64 | 28 |

| Age 65 to 74 | 14 |

| Age 75 or older | 9 |

| No answer | * |

> [ PN: SHOW CAREGIVER_P AND CAREGIVER_S ON SAME SCREEN; DO NOT RANDOMIZE ]

> DISPLAY IF HAVE A LIVING PARENT 65 OR OLDER OR A SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 OR OLDER (AGINGPAR_b=1,2 OR AGINGPAR_c=1,2 OR SPOUSEAGE=3,4):

Caregiving comes in many different forms, from assisting with personal needs like bathing and dressing to helping with household chores or managing finances or medical care. Thinking about your current situation...

## CAREGIVER_P

> ASK IF HAVE A LIVING PARENT 65 OR OLDER (AGINGPAR_b=1,2 OR AGINGPAR_c=1,2) [n=3,855]:

Do you consider yourself to be a caregiver for a parent age 65 or older?

|  | Sep 2-8, 2025 |
| --- | --- |

| Yes | 24 |

| No | 76 |

| No answer | * |

## CAREGIVER_S

> ASK IF HAVE A SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 OR OLDER (SPOUSEAGE=3,4) [n=1,600]:

Do you consider yourself to be a caregiver for your spouse or partner?

|  | Sep 2-8, 2025 |
| --- | --- |

| Yes | 25 |

| No | 75 |

| No answer | - |

> [ PN: SHOW AGINGPARFIN AND ADCHILDFIN ON SAME SCREEN; DO NOT RANDOMIZE ]

1 MARITAL asked in a prior survey.

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## AGINGPARFIN

> ASK IF HAVE A LIVING PARENT 65 OR OLDER (AGINGPAR_b=1,2 OR AGINGPAR_c=1,2) [n=3,855]:

During the past 12 months, have you given any financial support to a parent age 65 or older?

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | % |
| --- | --- |

| Yes | 26 |

| No | 74 |

| No answer | * |

## ADCHILDFIN

> ASK IF PARENT OF CHILD 18+ (X_ADULTCHILD=1) [n=4,725]:2

During the past 12 months, have you given any financial support to any of your adult children ages 18 and older?

|  | Yes | No | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | 56 | 44 | * |

| Oct 18-24, 2021 | 56 | 43 | 1 |

## ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

## CAREPOLICY

> ASK ALL:
> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1 IN SAME ORDER AS KIDSPOLICY, HOLDING 6 AND 99 LAST; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION AND ROTATION IN DATA FILE ]

Would you favor or oppose the federal government doing each of the following for people who are providing care for an aging family member?

|  | Strongly favor | Somewhat favor | Neither favor nor oppose | Somewhat oppose | Strongly oppose | Not sure | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. Providing tax credits to offset the cost of caregiving |

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | 45 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 8 | * |

| b. Providing direct payments to offset the cost of caregiving |

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | 35 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 5 | 10 | * |

| c. Requiring employers to provide paid family leave |

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | 44 | 25 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 8 | * |

2 ADULTCHILD asked in a prior survey.

4
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## CAREPOLICY CONTINUED…

|  | Strongly favor | Somewhat favor | Neither favor nor oppose | Somewhat oppose | Strongly oppose | Not sure | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| d. Paying for short-term care for aging adults to provide temporary relief for family caregivers |

| Sep 2-8, 2025 | 39 | 32 | 12 | 5 | 3 | 9 | * |

## ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

> PN: CREATE DOV_PARSP FOR MODULE ASSIGNMENT WHERE 1 = “PARENT”, 2 = “SPOUSE” AND 3 = “DON’T HAVE SPOUSE/PARTNER OR PARENT 65 AND OLDER

>  DOV_PARSP=1 WHEN (AGINGPAR_b=1,2 OR AGINGPAR_c=1,2) AND (SPOUSEAGE=1,2,98,99 OR X_MARITAL=3,4,5,6,99)

>  DOV_PARSP=2 WHEN (AGINGPAR_b=3,98,99 AND AGINGPAR_c=3,98,99) AND SPOUSEAGE=3,4

>  RANDOMLY ASSIGN VALUES 1-2 TO DOV_PARSP WHEN (AGINGPAR_b=1,2 OR AGINGPAR_c=1,2) AND SPOUSEAGE=3,4

>  DOV_PARSP=3 WHEN (AGINGPAR_b=3,98,99 AND AGINGPAR_c=3,98,99) AND (SPOUSEAGE=1,2,98,99 OR X_MARITAL=3,4,5,6,99)

>  RESPONDENTS WHO HAVE PARENT(S) 65 AND OLDER BUT DO NOT HAVE SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER SHOULD RECEIVE THE AGING PARENTS MODULE; RESPONDENTS WHO HAVE SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER BUT DO NOT HAVE PARENTS(S) 65 AND OLDER SHOULD RECEIVE THE AGING SPOUSE MODULE; RESPONDENTS WITH BOTH PARENT(S) 65 AND OLDER AND SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER SHOULD BE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO EITHER THE AGING PARENT MODULE OR THE AGING SPOUSE MODULE. RESPONDENTS WHO DO NOT HAVE PARENT(S) 65 AND OLDER OR HAVE A SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER SHOULD NOT RECEIVE EITHER MODULE.

> [ PN: AGING PARENTS MODULE BEGINS HERE ]

> DISPLAY IF HAVE PARENT(S) 65 AND OLDER AND SELECTED TO RECEIVE AGING PARENTS MODULE (DOV_PARSP=1):

Now thinking about your parent(s) ages 65 and older...

## PARNEED

> ASK IF HAVE PARENT(S) 65 AND OLDER AND SELECTED TO RECEIVE AGING PARENTS MODULE (DOV_PARSP=1) [n=3,711]:

> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION IN DATA FILE ]

Do any of your parents ages 65 and older need help with each of the following?

5

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

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## PARNEED CONTINUED…

|  | Yes | No | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. Errands, housework or home repairsSep 2-8, 2025 | 53 | 47 | * |

| b. Personal care, such as bathing or dressingSep 2-8, 2025 | 17 | 82 | * |

| c. Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on timeSep 2-8, 2025 | 31 | 69 | * |

| d. Managing their health care, such as medical appointments or medicationSep 2-8, 2025 | 38 | 61 | * |

## PARHELP

> ASK IF THEIR PARENTS NEED ANY HELP WITH ANY TASK (PARNEED_a-d=1) [n=2,153]:

> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS IN SAME ORDER AS PARNEED; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-3/3-1, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION AND ROTATION IN DATA FILE ]

How often do you help any of your parents ages 65 and older with each of the following?

|  | On a regular basis | From time to time | Hardly ever or never | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
****

| a. ASK IF THEIR PARENT(S) NEED HELP WITH ERRANDS (PARNEED_a=1) [n=1,934]:Errands, housework or home repairsSep 2-8, 2025 | 35 | 44 | 20 | * |
****

| b. ASK IF THEIR PARENT(S) NEED HELP WITH PERSONAL CARE (PARNEED_b=1) [n=598]:Personal care, such as bathing or dressingSep 2-8, 2025 | 30 | 33 | 37 | * |
****

| c. ASK IF THEIR PARENT(S) NEED HELP WITH FINANCES (PARNEED_c=1) [n=1,059]:Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on timeSep 2-8, 2025 | 43 | 35 | 22 | 0 |
****

| d. ASK IF THEIR PARENT(S) NEED HELP WITH HEALTH CARE (PARNEED_d=1) [n=1,342]:Managing their health care, such as medical appointments or medicationSep 2-8, 2025 | 37 | 40 | 23 | * |

## CAREPARIMP

> ASK IF PROVIDING HELP TO PARENTS AT LEAST FROM TIME TO TIME WITH ANY TYPE OF HELP (PARHELP_a-d=1,2) [n=1,793]:

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6

PEW RESEARCH CENTER

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> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1 IN SAME ORDER AS FEWERKIDS, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION AND ROTATION IN DATA FILE ]

## In general, what kind of impact has providing help to your parent(s) had on each of the following?

|  | Very positive | Somewhat positive | Neither positive nor negative | Somewhat negative | Very negative | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. Your physical healthSep 2-8, 2025 | 9 | 15 | 57 | 17 | 3 | * |

| b. Your emotional well-beingSep 2-8, 2025 | 15 | 21 | 36 | 23 | 5 | 0 |

| c. Your social lifeSep 2-8, 2025 | 8 | 12 | 59 | 17 | 4 | 1 |

| d. Your financial situationSep 2-8, 2025 | 7 | 13 | 56 | 20 | 4 | * |
****

| e. ASK IF EMPLOYED (EMPLSIT=1-2) [n=1,306]:Your job or careerSep 2-8, 2025 | 9 | 11 | 64 | 15 | 2 | * |
****

| f. ASK IF MARRIED OR LIVING WITH PARTNER (X_MARITAL=1-2) [n=1,187]:Your relationship with your spouse or partnerSep 2-8, 2025 | 14 | 18 | 53 | 14 | 2 | * |

| g. Your relationship with your parent(s)Sep 2-8, 2025 | 30 | 31 | 27 | 11 | 1 | 0 |

> [ PN: AGING SPOUSE MODULE BEGINS HERE ]

DISPLAY IF HAVE SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER AND SELECTED TO RECEIVE AGING SPOUSE MODULE (DOV_PARSP=2):

Now thinking about your spouse or partner...

## SPOUSENEED

> ASK IF HAVE SPOUSE OR PARTNER 65 AND OLDER AND SELECTED TO RECEIVE AGING SPOUSE MODULE (DOV_PARSP=2) [n=1,454]:

> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION IN DATA FILE ]

## Thinking about your spouse’s or partner’s ability to do a number of household and personal tasks, do they need help doing each of the following?

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PEW RESEARCH CENTER

## SPOUSENEED CONTINUED…

|  | Yes | No | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. Errands, housework or home repairsSep 2-8, 2025 | 30 | 69 | 1 |

| b. Personal care, such as bathing or dressingSep 2-8, 2025 | 11 | 89 | * |

| c. Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on timeSep 2-8, 2025 | 24 | 75 | * |

| d. Managing their health care, such as medical appointments or medicationSep 2-8, 2025 | 24 | 76 | 1 |

## SPOUSEHELP

**ASK IF SPOUSE OR PARTNER NEEDS ANY HELP (SPOUSENEED_a-d=1) [n=573]:**
> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS IN SAME ORDER AS SPOUSENEED; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-3/3-1, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION AND ROTATION IN DATA FILE ]

How often do you help your spouse or partner with each of the following?

|  | On a regular basis | From time to time | Hardly ever or never | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
****

| a. ASK IF THEIR SPOUSE/PARTNER NEED HELP WITH ERRANDS (SPOUSENEED_a=1) [n=440]:Errands, housework or home repairsSep 2-8, 2025 | 69 | 23 | 8 | 0 |
****

| b. ASK IF THEIR SPOUSE/PARTNER NEED HELP WITH PERSONAL CARE (SPOUSENEED_b=1) [n=142]:Personal care, such as bathing or dressingSep 2-8, 2025 | 51 | 17 | 33 | 0 |
****

| c. ASK IF THEIR SPOUSE/PARTNER NEED HELP WITH FINANCES (SPOUSENEED_c=1) [n=349]:Managing their finances, such as budgeting or paying bills on timeSep 2-8, 2025 | 75 | 13 | 12 | 0 |
****

| d. ASK IF THEIR SPOUSE/PARTNER NEED HELP WITH HEALTH CARE (SPOUSENEED_d=1) [n=333]:Managing their health care, such as medical appointments or medicationSep 2-8, 2025 | 64 | 22 | 14 | 0 |

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8
PEW RESEARCH CENTER
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## CARESPIMP

> ASK IF PROVIDING HELP TO SPOUSE OR PARTNER AT LEAST FROM TIME TO TIME WITH ANY TYPE OF HELP (SPOUSEHELP_a-d=1,2) [n=541]:

> [ PN: RANDOMIZE ITEMS; ROTATE RESPONSE OPTIONS 1-5/5-1 IN SAME ORDER AS FEWERKIDS, HOLDING 98 AND 99 LAST; INCLUDE RANDOMIZATION AND ROTATION IN DATA FILE ]

In general, what kind of impact has providing help to your spouse or partner had on each of the following?

|  | Very positive | Somewhat positive | Neither positive nor negative | Somewhat negative | Very negative | No answer |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| a. Your physical healthSep 2-8, 2025 | 11 | 22 | 50 | 13 | 2 | 1 |

| b. Your emotional well-beingSep 2-8, 2025 | 19 | 21 | 36 | 18 | 4 | * |

| c. Your social lifeSep 2-8, 2025 | 12 | 20 | 50 | 15 | 4 | * |

| d. Your financial situationSep 2-8, 2025 | 17 | 16 | 52 | 11 | 3 | 1 |
****

| e.ASK IF EMPLOYED (EMPLSIT=1-2):Your job or careerSep 2-8, 2025 | RESPONSES NOT SHOWN DUE TO SMALL SAMPLE SIZE |

| f. Your relationship with your spouse or partnerSep 2-8, 2025 | 30 | 20 | 36 | 10 | 3 | * |

> [ PN: AGING SPOUSE MODULE ENDS HERE ]

## ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS PREVIOUSLY RELEASED

## PARTY

In politics today, do you consider yourself a:

## PARTYLN

> ASK IF INDEP/SOMETHING ELSE (PARTY=3,4) OR MISSING [n=3,319]:

As of today do you lean more to...3

| Republican | Democrat | Independent | Something else | No answer | Lean Rep | Lean Dem |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |

| 29 | 28 | 27 | 14 | 2 | 17 | 19 |

3 PARTY and PARTYLN asked in a prior survey.

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**Next:** [What policies would Americans support to help family caregivers?](https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2026/02/26/what-policies-would-americans-support-to-help-family-caregivers.md)