African American young adults favor family support when it comes to caring for older adults

A recent study led by Nekehia Quashie, an assistant professor of public health at the University of Rhode Island, examined the attitudes of African American young adults, midlife adults, and older adults towards the responsibility of supporting older adults. The research, published in the August issue of Sociological Focus, found that the stage of life significantly influences these attitudes.

Life course stage plays a crucial role in determining the preferred responsibility for supporting older adults. Previous studies have analyzed differences in care and support by race and age group, but not within the African American community. Addressing this gap is important because African Americans often face financial and health disadvantages, particularly during midlife, which may influence their views on the level of family involvement in support.

The study revealed that among 1,696 African American adults surveyed between 2001 and 2003, young adults (ages 18-39) were the most likely to favor equal responsibility for financial support (56.9%), with 67.3% endorsing mainly family responsibility for household chores. In contrast, older adults (65+) were most likely to endorse mainly government responsibility for financial support (35.6%) and 13.7% for personal caregiving.

Midlife adults (ages 40-64) tended to support equal responsibility for both financial support (47.1%) and household chores (29.5%), while older adults were more inclined to favor mainly government involvement in these areas (38.2% and 19.0%, respectively). For personal caregiving, young adults were most likely to support equal responsibility (45.2%), while midlife adults were split between mainly family (43.6%) and equal responsibility (43.8%).

Older adults were the most likely to endorse mainly government responsibility (19.0%) for this task.

The study highlights the importance of understanding age differences in African Americans' views on who should be responsible for supporting older adults. While African Americans highly value family support, the research suggests that the government should also have some or the main responsibility for certain types of support. This information can help target support services effectively for different age groups in an increasingly diverse U.S. population.