A Study Of The Family In Today's Society

The Family in the 1990s

The majority of adults appear to wish for a reversal in social trends - 72% want an increase in the number of nuclear family households, and a decrease in single person (54%) and single parent (75%) households.

Although the family is seen as a fundamental part of an individual's life, the majority feel the family unit should not take precedence if it's an unhappy household than live alone and only 28% believe that it is better for unhappy parents to stay together whilst their children are growing up.

Marriage and children

Over two-thirds see a traditional family life as the ideal: 69% feel being married with children is the most desirable lifestyle.

A majority (53%) feel the increase in children born outside marriage has had a negative affect on family fife; only 4% feel it has had a positive one.

The majority would like to see less single parent households (75%). However, most feel that by the year 2020 the number of single parent households will have increased (71%).

Women & Family

The majority (63%) feel women are better at coping alone than men, women in particular believe this (76%).

Opinion is diviided on the increasing number of women going out to work - 32% say it has a positive effect on the family, 35% negative.

Children and the family

There is strong support (75%) for legally enforceable evening curfews on teenagers, and there is also a clear majority for this (63%) amongst young adults.

The government may also be encouraged by the support for homework centres - 82% feel they would be useful; and 51% with dependent teenagers feel they would personally find them useful.

Parental concerns

Drugs (79%), "getting in with the wrong crowd" (74%) and bullying (72%) are the three most common concerns parents have for their children.

Sexual health is also a key concern - 61% of parents worry about HIV / AIDS and 50% about underage sex.

Children and alcohol

The majority (54%) of parents do worry about alcohol as their children grow up.

Whilst 59% of parents agree with current licensing laws for alcohol consumption in public houses, a quarter of parents of 5 to 10 year olds sometimes permit their children to try alcohol in a social setting, and a quarter of those with children aged 11-17 regularly do so.

Meal Times

Britain appears to be turning into a nation of "grazers" - 37% claim to enjoy snacks rather than sit down meals during the day, and attitudes towards convenience foods tend to be positive- 64% agree they make it easier to please different tastes within the household.

The perception of food

Despite the imminent establishment of the Food Standards Authority, a substantial minority of Britons (37%) feel concern about food is just a passing fad.

Only 16% currently believe publicised food risks all or most of the time, 35% rarely or never believe them; and the Government is trusted by only minority (9%) when reporting health hazards.

The millennium

Britons are still divided on the Millennium, 66% have little or no interest in celebrating it; a third say they are interested.

Only 7% claim an interested in visiting the Millennium Dome, although 17% of Londoners say they are (c. 1.2 million Londoners).

Institutions and professions

When asked what institutions and professions Britons respect now and who they respected as a child, Doctors were found to be held in the highest esteem in adulthood (57%).

The Police suffer the largest drop, down from 71% having respect for them as a child to 49% saying they respect for them as a child to 49% saying they respect them nowadays.

Nurses have grown in respect - up from 35% in childhood to 45% in adulthood.

Technical details

MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of 984 adults aged 15+. Fieldwork was conducted face-to-face in home between 10th October and 10th November 1997. Data were weighted to match the profile of the population.