Trendspotting: Family Matters

NewsWire: 12/4/21

• Most adults in advanced economies say that family is the top source of meaning in their lives. However, this varies widely by country, with others more likely to cite their careers or financial success. (Pew Research Center)
• NH: After Thanksgiving, if you found yourself feeling thankful for your family, you aren’t alone. According to a new Pew poll of advanced economies, "family and children" is the number one source of meaning in 14 of the 17 surveyed nations.
• A median of 38% of adults rank family as a source of meaning in their lives. Australia ranks the highest, with 56% citing family. The US is close behind at 49%.
• Interestingly, in the US, there isn’t much difference in response by age group. At the low end, 45% of 18- to 29-year-olds report finding meaning in family. At the high end, 53% of 30- to 49-year-olds say the same thing. That's the smallest gap in any country. 
• So who doesn't value family as highly? Interestingly, it's the three Confucian societies surveyed here: Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. In Taiwan, "society, places, and institutions" got the most votes--a fitting choice for a country that values civic virtue and high compliance with the law. In South Korea, it was "material well-being"--which may explain why Squid Game found such a ready audience there. Spain was the only other country that did not put family number one. It's top choice was "health," logically enough for a country with one of world's highest life expectancies.

Did You Know?

• “Third Places” Take a Hit. After the pandemic hit, access to “third places”—bars, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and so on—was greatly limited. Many of these places have reopened, but others remain closed or have reduced their operating hours. In 2019, more than two-thirds (67%) of Americans reported having a favorite “third place” in their local communities that they went to regularly. As of 2021, this has fallen to 56%. Over this period, the share who report not having a third place has risen from 32% to 44%. “Third places” play an important role in connecting Americans to their communities: Those who have them usually report recognizing other people there (63%) and are more likely than those who don’t have third places to say that they feel closely connected with their neighborhoods (58% vs. 43%). They’re also more likely to say they socialize regularly with people they don’t know well (48% vs. 28%).