Attitudes towards parenting for the National Childbirth Trust (NCT)
A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), asked parents/expectant parents and those aged 15-45 their views on a range of issues around parenting.
A recent survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), asked parents/expectant parents and those aged 15-45 their views on a range of issues around parenting. These issues included support available to new parents, information provision and pressures on new and expectant parents. Topline results
Q1. I am going to read out a list of statements and would like you to indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with each statement using the scale on this card.
| 160 | Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | Don't know |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Becoming a parent often puts a strain on the parent's relationship with their partner | 25 | 38 | 18 | 9 | 1 | 9 |
| Parents find it hard to balance the need to earn money and the need to spend time with their child | 37 | 39 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| It is far more important for mothers to spend time with their young children than fathers | 11 | 19 | 19 | 27 | 19 | 6 |
| It is important that information for new or expectant parents is provided by organisations which are non-commercial and independent from Government | 26 | 36 | 24 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| Many parents feel that they lose their individual identity when they become a parent | 11 | 28 | 23 | 17 | 10 | 11 |
| More research is needed on how pregnancy, birth and early childhood affects children's futures | 18 | 40 | 23 | 8 | 2 | 8 |
| Breastfeeding is more environmentally friendly than bottle feeding | 31 | 32 | 20 | 5 | 2 | 10 |
| Providing parenting information to parents in the early months of their child's life makes very little difference to the longer-term future of the child | 8 | 17 | 22 | 26 | 19 | 8 |
| Support given to new fathers is just as important for the wellbeing of the child as support given to new mothers | 44 | 36 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| In the UK we don't do enough to educate teenagers on the impacts and responsibilities of becoming a parent | 45 | 25 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 7 |
| There is plenty of help for first time parents on how to deal with the change to parenthood | 7 | 27 | 26 | 19 | 7 | 13 |
Q2. I am going to read out a list of statements and would like you to indicate to what extent you agree or disagree with each statement using the scale on this card
| 160160 | Strongly agree | Tend to agree | Neither agree nor disagree | Tend to disagree | Strongly disagree | Don't know | No answer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Having a child makes people more aware of their impact on the environment | 14 | 37 | 24 | 14 | 5 | 5 | * |
| Much of the information available to new or expectant parents is inconsistent or gives different advice | 17 | 39 | 22 | 10 | 2 | 10 | 1 |
| The amount of information on pregnancy and childbirth is overwhelming for parents/expectant parents | 14 | 33 | 22 | 19 | 4 | 8 | * |
| There is too much pressure on new mums to breastfeed their babies | 15 | 25 | 19 | 23 | 9 | 8 | * |
| There is too much pressure on new parents to buy unnecessary baby products | 37 | 37 | 11 | 8 | 2 | 5 | * |
For more information about the National Childbirth Trust, please visit: www.nct.org.uk
Technical Note
- This survey was carried out by Ipsos on behalf of the NCT (National Childbirth Trust).
- The research was carried out on Ipsos's Capibus, the weekly face-to-face omnibus survey, using a nationally representative quota sample across Great Britain.
- Fieldwork was conducted over two waves: 8 - 14 January and 22 - 28 January 2010.
- In total, 2039 responses were received. All questions include all respondents unless otherwise stated (All adults aged 15+). Overall, 917 parents and expectant parents of all ages and 971 British adults aged 15-45 were interviewed.
- All questions required one response unless otherwise stated.
- The results have been weighted to reflect the known profile of the adult population in Great Britain. They are weighted on age, social grade, region and work status- within gender. The data are also weighted on tenure and ethnicity.
- An asterisk (*) denotes a finding of less than 0.5% but greater than 0.
- Where responses do not sum to 100, this is due to multiple responses or computer rounding.
