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The third part of the YouGov Big Survey on Family examines what Britons think family members owe one another, from caring for ageing parents to financial support, housing, childcare and maintaining difficult relationships.
Our survey tested 12 potential obligations that some may hold family members to have, asking people whether they believe family are bound in such a way, or whether it was up to the individual.
Caring responsibilities
Do adults have an obligation to look after their sick parents?
Of the 12 potential family obligations we tested, the one Britons are most likely to agree with is that adults have an obligation to care for their parents if they become ill in old age. Half of Britons feel this way (48%), compared to 43% who say no such obligation exists, and that it is ultimately up to the individual. This is the only obligation we asked about that more Britons recognise than reject.
Do grandparents have an obligation to help care for their grandchildren?
Childcare is expensive in Britain, with recent reports suggesting an average weekly cost of £149 for full-time nursery care in England, £259 in Scotland, and £325 in Wales. For many parents, having their grandparents step in to help can be a lifeline, but do the public think grandparents are obliged to do so?
Only one in five Britons (19%) think they are. Among grandparents themselves this figure is unchanged, although it does rise slightly to 26% among parents of children aged 4 or younger.
Living arrangements
Do parents have an obligation to let their adult children live with them?
House prices have never been higher in Britain, with the average cost of a home standing at £270,080 as of April 2026. As a result, children are continuing to live with their parents for longer and longer, but even before prices took off, for many people the ability to move back in with their parents was the final safety net in the event of financial difficulties.
However, fewer than four in ten Britons (39%) think parents have any obligation to house their adult children if they are unable to afford to live elsewhere. This includes 38% of parents of adult children themselves.
The generations are highly divided on this question: while 56% of 18-24 year olds say that parents are obliged to let their adult children live with them, only 35% of the over-55s say the same.
Do adults have an obligation to let their parents live with them?
How about when the situation is reversed, and parents find themselves in housing trouble?
In this case, even fewer Britons feel there is an obligation for people to house their parents, at 30%.
The generations again differ on this question, and in the same direction: younger Britons are far more likely to think adults are obliged to let their struggling parents live with them (50% of 18-24 year olds), while only 25% of the over-55s agree.
Do people have an obligation to let their siblings live with them?
When it comes to offering help horizontally along the family tree, far fewer people believe anyone owes their siblings accommodation. Just 17% of Britons say adults have a family obligation to house a brother or sister if they are in need.
Financial support
Do parents have an obligation to financially support their adult children?
One in three Britons (34%) say that parents have an obligation to financially support their children in adulthood if they are struggling – a slight reduction compared to the number who think they should have to house struggling offspring.
Young people are much more likely to say that parents have financial obligations to adult children (50% of 18-24 year olds), although this again reflects the general higher likelihood that young people have to believe in such family obligations, rather than because they have a special interest in the matter!
Do adults have an obligation to financially support their parents?
An identical number (34%) think that adults are obliged in turn to financially support their parents if they are in trouble. This includes 42% of 18-24 year olds, relative to 31-34% of other age groups.
Do adults have an obligation to financially support their siblings or cousins?
Far fewer people think such financial obligations extent to brothers and sisters (15%) or cousins (5%).
Do parents have an obligation to leave their wealth to their children when they die?
While a third of Britons may feel that parents are obliged to support their adult children financially, somewhat fewer believe they still have an obligation to do so after their death, with 26% saying parents are obligated to leave their wealth to their children in their will.
Again, the youngest Britons (39% of 18-24 year olds) are substantially more likely than their elders (22% of the over-55s) to say that parents have such financial obligations to their children.
Other obligations
Do people have an obligation to tolerate family members in order to keep the peace?
Family occasions can be a time of simmering tensions, with arguments at the Christmas table a common trope. Tales abound of people being asked not to cause a fuss in the face of rude relatives in order to keep the peace – but do Britons feel people are obliged to hold their tongue?
No: a mere 11% of Britons think that people have such an obligation.
Do people have an obligation to maintain contact with family members who have committed serious crimes?
In the event that a family member has committed serious crimes, just 6% of Britons think people have an obligation to maintain contact and support them, the lowest of all the potential obligations we asked about.
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Photo: Getty