NewsWire: 2/6/21
- As of October 2020, 46% of fathers say they spend “the right amount of time” with their kids, up from 36% in 2017. The share of mothers who say the same has also climbed during this period, but not as dramatically. (Pew Research Center)
- NH: Since the beginning of the pandemic, I have tried to point out the silver linings of Covid-19 life. Americans are cooking more. Traffic deaths are down. And crime rates have fallen. (See “Fatal Auto Accidents Are Declining In Most States,” “Gallup Says Crime Rate Fell In 2020,” and “Is Covid-19 Making Us Eat Healthier?”)
- This new Pew survey touches on another positive effect we've noticed: families spending more time together. Last October, I noted that both moms (61%) and dads (70%) reported feeling closer to their children (see “Lockdown Silver Lining: Closer Mother-Daughter Bonds” and "Another Lockdown Silver Lining: Dads Feeling Closer to Their Kids"). Now, this new survey shows that more parents believe they are spending “the right amount of time” with their kids. From 2017 to 2020, the share of dads who said this increased by 10 percentage points (36% to 46%), and the share of moms who said this increased by 5 percentage points (53% to 58%).
- The survey also noted that Men are more content than women with various aspects of their relationships. Men are more likely to say they are "very satisfied" with the division of household chores, their spouse’s work-life balance, and their partner’s communication and parenting abilities. This was also true in 2019, but the satisfaction gaps between men and women have only increased since the pandemic started.
Did You Know?
- Millennials Stepping Up Their End-of-Life Planning. The number of Millennial adults who are completing wills has increased during the pandemic, according to a new study from the online estate planning firm Trust & Will. While 37% of 25- to 40-year-olds cited the birth of a child as the reason for creating their estate plans, the pandemic came in second at 17%. Other traditional reasons, like “buying a home” and “marriage or divorce,” were only cited by 6% of respondents. When it comes to end-of-life wishes, Millennials are moving away from traditional ceremonies: 47% said they want to be cremated, compared to just 25% who want to be buried. Fully 35%, meanwhile, want an end-of-life celebration instead of a funeral. What’s more, 26% opted to donate their organs and 8% to donate their bodies to science. Millennials are also making sure that their beloved “fur babies” will be provided for. Of the respondents who own pets, fully 78% appointed pet guardians.
