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The fifth part of the YouGov Big Survey on Family explores British views on marriage, parenting, separation, single-parent households and the ideal living arrangements for adult children and wider families.
Are families weaker now than in the past?
The majority of Britons think families today are weaker than they were in the past, with 56% saying so. Only 23% think they are as strong now as they ever were, while just 8% think families these days are stronger.
The oldest Britons in particular are more likely to think families are now weaker (64% of over-55s), while the youngest adults are noticeably more likely to think families are stronger in the current era (22%).
Should couples who are raising children be married?
While marriage was traditionally an institution for the raising of children, the majority of Britons (56%) now say it is not important for couples who are raising children to be married.
Four in ten Britons still see marriage as an important basis for raising children, including 13% who see it as “very important”.
Should a couple who never intend to have children be expected to marry?
But what if a couple has no intention of having children? Is it important for them to get married as well?
No: even fewer people think marriage is required in this situation, with 66% now seeing it as unimportant. Only a quarter consider it important (24%), including just 7% who deem it “very important”.
Should couples stay together for the sake of the children?
It is commonly heard that couples justify remaining in dysfunctional marriages “for the children”. But do Britons think this is the best thing for such couples to do, or is it better that they separate?
Most people think the latter, with 61% saying so, compared to only 18% who think it is better to stay together until such a time as the children are adults.
Men are significantly more likely to think it is better to try and keep an unloving or unhappy relationship on the road for the sake of the kids, at 26% compared to 11% of women.
Is it always better for children to be raised by two parents?
The 1980s and 1990s saw a period of moral panic about single parents – typically single mothers – the majority of Britons (55%) agree that there are circumstances where it might be better for a child to be raised by a single parent. Only a third (35%) say that it is always better for children to have two parents.
The gender differences on this question become even more stark. While fully two thirds of women (67%) say it can be better for children to be raised by one parent, this drops to 42% among men, 47% of whom say it is always better for children to have two parents.
What is the ideal family living situation?
While in some cultures the norm is for multiple generations of a family to live together, this looks unlikely to be the preferred state in the UK any time soon. Fully 77% of Britons say the ideal family living situation is that children move out as soon as they are able once they reach adulthood.
Only 4% favour a situation where children live with their parents until they have children of their own, at which point they move out. And just 5% prefer for children to continue living at home even after having their own children, with several generations all living together in the same home.
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Photo: Getty