Building Strong Families Press Release
A Preliminary Study from YMCA of the USA and Search Institute on What Parents Need to Succeed
Wednesday, November 20, 2002
STUDY: PARENTS “GOING IT ALONE”— DESPITE AVAILABLE SUPPORT
Search Institute and YMCAs recommend simple remedies, offer parents Self-Quiz
CHICAGO, Nov. 20—American parents, often hard-pressed, report
a sense of “going it alone.” A majority (53 percent) of parents surveyed
said they don’t often seek support in the vital and challenging task of raising
children and teenagers, according to the “Building Strong Families” survey
and study, released today by Minneapolis-based Search Institute and YMCA
of the USA. Indeed, only 4 percent reported seeking help from friends,
family and community organizations.
Parents Say a Little Help Would Go a Long Way!
Interestingly, parents said they were looking for types of support that
are easily provided and don’t cost a thing: 78 percent said that talking
with other parents about parenting issues would help “very much” or “somewhat.”
Similarly, 67 percent said that “others telling them they were doing a good
job” would help “very much” or “somewhat.” And 71 percent wanted trusted
adults to spend quality time with their kids.
Accompanying the survey and analysis is a Self-Quiz for parents and tips
for easing the burdens of parenting. The project is part of an ongoing
study of children and families by the Search Institute, a nationally recognized
research and social change organization and the YMCAs’ national resource
organization, YMCA of the USA. It was made possible by a grant from the Kimberly-Clark
Corporation as part of their national sponsorship of YMCA families.
“Parents are central—but often unappreciated—players in kids’ healthy
development,” said Peter L. Benson, Ph.D., President of Search Institute.
“This study underscores the many positive things parents are doing for their
kids. And it challenges everyone in communities to rally together to build
strong families and strong kids.”
“As we prepare to celebrate National Family Week, Nov. 24-30, let’s take
the opportunity to support this country’s parents, who are entrusted with
our nation’s most precious resource — our children,” said Kenneth L. Gladish,
Ph.D., national executive director, YMCA of the USA. “This preliminary research
offers a starting place for our efforts. When we reach out to parents,
we begin to build strong kids and families, strong communities and a strong
nation.”
Ongoing Challenges include Lack of Excellent Relationship with
Spouse or Partner
Fully half of parents interviewed (50 percent) said they lacked a strong
partner relationship, which the study found a key resource for parenting.
And those with a strong relationship — whether married or not — were more
likely to feel successful as parents. Parents did not underplay the challenges
they face, reporting that their roles were made more difficult by job demands
(50 percent), conflicts among children (48 percent), overscheduled children
(41 percent) and financial pressures (41 percent).
Despite Immense Challenges, Most Feel Successful
Despite this, and in contrast to the popular belief that young people
today receive inadequate parenting and supervision, a third of respondents
(34 percent) said they feel successful as parents almost every day. An additional
54 percent said they feel successful “most days” and 89 percent said they
teach their children basic values, help their children feel good at something
(87 percent), and do many other positive things with their children, showing
them love and support (97 percent).
The Search Institute/ YMCA “Building Strong Families” survey was shaped
by a panel of outside experts on family and conducted by the Global Strategy
Group of New York. Findings were borne out by related Search interviews with
many other families of different types, across the U-S. It involved
a telephone interview in May 2002 with 1,005 parents with children under
18, margin of error +/-3.1%. Findings follow Search Institute’s landmark
work on Developmental Assets for children and set the stage for an ongoing
exploration of parents and families. Complete survey findings available at
www.abundantassets.org
Search Institute is an independent, nonprofit, nonsectarian
organization whose mission is to advance the well-being of adolescents and
children by generating knowledge and promoting its application.
The nation’s 2,493 YMCAs are collectively the largest not-for-profit community
service organization and largest providers of child care in the U-S.
YMCAs serve 18.3 million people of all faiths, races, ages and incomes, including
nine million children. Visit the YMCA Strong Families Zone at
www.ymca.net
Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a leading global consumer products company,
home to the world's most trusted and recognized brands, including Kleenex,
Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend. Visit
www.kimberly-clark.com
and www.parentstages.com.
# # #
Editors are urged to offer readers the Self-Quiz.
For study booklet, interviews, fact sheet, Self-Quiz
or topline polling data, contact:
Arnold Collins
312/419-8418
arnold.collins@ymca.net
Bill Kaufmann
612/ 399-0215
billk@search-institute.org
Julie Mulzoff
312/419-8758
julie.mulzoff@ymca.net
Erin Streeter
202/835-0193
erin.streeter@ymca.net
