Survey reveals changing understanding of the family unit
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
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 to
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
