Survey reveals changing understanding of the family unit
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The family norm used to be a married couple with two children but a new YouGov survey underscores the increasingly flexible definitions of what constitutes a family today.
When asked what they consider to be a family, almost all those surveyed agreed that a married couple with children fitted this definition.
However, most agree that other set-ups can also be defined as family.
Nearly nine in ten (89%) said an unmarried couple with children counted as a family, followed by a lone parent with at least one child (87%).
Nearly three-quarters (72%) said they would consider a married couple without children as a family, as well as siblings living together (71%).
Over two-thirds (70%) said same-sex couples in civil partnerships with children were a family.
However, the survey found a broader view of family among a sizable group of people who are happy to apply the term ‘family’ to people who have strong emotional bonds or live together.
More than half (52%) of people consider an un...
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