The Modern American Family
Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
Parenthood
Almost 1 in 5 stay-at-home parents in the U.S. are dads
In 2021, 18% of parents didn’t work for pay, which was unchanged from 2016, according to a new analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
Americans’ Largely Positive Views of Childhood Vaccines Hold Steady
About nine-in-ten (88%) Americans say, overall, the benefits of childhood vaccines for measles, mumps and rubella outweigh the risks, identical to the share who said this before the coronavirus outbreak. U.S. adults are less confident in COVID-19 vaccines: Fewer than half rate them as having high health benefits and a low risk of side effects.
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Explicit content, time-wasting are key social media worries for parents of U.S. teens
A majority of U.S. parents are keeping a watchful eye on what their teens do on social media; some are also imposing screen time restrictions.
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K-12 parents differ by party in how frequently they discuss certain national issues with their children
A quarter of U.S. parents of K-12 students say racism or racial inequality comes up in conversation with their children very or fairly often.
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One-in-four U.S. parents say they’ve struggled to afford food or housing in the past year
Additionally, about half of lower-income parents (52%) say they have not had enough money for food or their rent or mortgage.
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Parents Differ Sharply by Party Over What Their K-12 Children Should Learn in School
Republican and Democratic parents differ widely over what their children should learn at school about gender identity, slavery and other topics, but they are equally satisfied with the quality of education their children are receiving.
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About a third of K-12 parents are very or extremely worried a shooting could happen at their children’s school
Mothers are more likely than fathers to be extremely or very worried about a school shooting, and concerns also vary by race and ethnicity.
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For many U.S. moms, pandemic brought increase in time spent caring for kids while doing other things
Widespread child care challenges from the coronavirus pandemic lasted into 2021 for some U.S. parents.
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Large shares in many countries are pessimistic about the next generation’s financial future
A median of 70% of adults across 19 countries say children in their country will be worse off than their parents financially when they grow up.
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Partisans tend to cite different ideas for what more the government should do for parents and children
Asked what more the government should do to support parents and children, Americans often mention forms of social or direct financial support.
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Home births rose 19% in 2020 as pandemic hit the U.S.
While the total number of U.S. births declined at the end of 2020 and beginning of 2021, the number of births at home rose.
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Americans’ Complex Views on Gender Identity and Transgender Issues
Most favor protecting trans people from discrimination, but fewer support policies related to medical care for gender transitions; many are uneasy with the pace of change on trans issues.
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