NATIONAL SURVEY OF PARENTS REVEALS THEIR COMMITMENT AND STRUGGLES TO FOSTER CHARACTER IN THEIR CHILDREN

Digital platforms, political leaders, and peers make it difficult for parents to model and emphasize character

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- National nonprofit Character.org today released results from a new nationally-representative survey of parents, conducted by Ipsos, that details the challenges of Gen X and Millennial parents to raise good kids in the Digital Age. The survey report, "Raising Good Kids," found that 90 percent of parents feel that children today do not treat others with respect and 85 percent of parents believe that children are not honest.

The survey gathered insights from 1,034 parents of children between the ages of 6-18 years old between August 31 and September 16, 2022. The survey included parents from different political, racial and economic backgrounds as well as parents who are native Spanish speakers.

When surveyed, the majority of parents:

• Are committed but struggle to foster character.
• Three-quarters of parents feel character is less emphasized today than when they were growing up and 68 percent of parents admit they could be more proactive when it comes to reinforcing the importance of character.
• Almost half of all parents (47%) wish they had more resources available to them to help inspire their child to be a good person.
• Agree on the character strengths they want their children to care about.
• Parents prioritized honesty (62%), responsibility (59%) and respect (52%) when asked to rank the top three character strengths.
• The overwhelming majority (92%) of parents believe that "being a good person" is important, and helps one succeed in life (85%).
• Though many parents cited the values associated with the Golden Rule are important (such as respect and fairness), less than one in five parents (14%) use the Golden Rule with their children.
• Agree that a divided, digital world creates challenges for parents and children.
• Most parents (64%) agree that social media is negatively influencing their children's character.
• Half of parents believe that political polarization is negatively influencing their children's character, while the vast majority (88%) of parents feel that civility is getting worse in the United States.
• Parents who reported higher incomes ($100K plus, annually) have a higher level of trust with their children's friends, with 86% believing their children's peers had a positive impact compared to 60% of parents who reported lower incomes (less than $50K, annually).
• Admit it is hard to model and emphasize character.
• 52% of parents with children over 12 believe their child will start thinking the know everything.
• 45% of parents with children over 12 believe their child will start to listen more to their peers than to them.
• Parents with children under age 16 (nearly 75%) are more likely to have conversations with their children about being a good person than parents with children between the ages of 16-18 (58%).
• Parents with children under 16 (85%) are more likely to set clear expectations on what positive behavior they expect from their children compared to parents of children ages 16-18 (76%).
• Look to schools and their community for help.
• Regardless of political party, the majority of parents (63%) agree that schools should reinforce positive character traits. This is higher among Democratic-affiliated parents (72%) than Republican-affiliated parents (57%).
• Nine in 10 parents agree that teachers have a positive impact on their children's character.
• Eighty-two percent of parents agree that coaches and other mentors have a positive impact on their children's character.
• Sixty-seven percent of parents believe employers should prioritize character more than skills when hiring new employees.

"Social media behaviors and continued political division have left today's parents in a precarious position when it comes to fostering character in their children," says Arthur Schwartz, president of Character.org. "We are calling for a nationwide commitment to provide parents with the resources and support they need to ensure that every child and teen in our country have the social skills and character strengths to flourish in school, in the workplace, and as citizens."

At a time when our nation struggles with division, isolation and incivility in the digital age, parents today agree on the character strengths they want their children to care most about. Yet as their children get older, it is critical for parents to continue to set clear expectations for their children.

Character.org has developed the "Five C's of Character Development" to help parents ensure that their child grows into a thriving person of character. The Five C's are: commitment, consistency, conversations, community and celebration. Yet parents can't do it alone. Character.org has also included questions for educators, coaches, after-school program leaders and workplace leaders to consider as they create their own culture of character.

To learn more and download the full report, visit Character.org/parent-survey/.

Founded in 1993, Character.org is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that empowers people of all ages to practice and model character strengths that shape our hearts, minds, and choices. Character.org is widely known for its 11 Principles Framework for Schools: A Guide to Cultivating a Culture of Character, a comprehensive framework developed by school leaders and character education researchers. During the past 20 years, more than 1,000 schools have been recognized by Character.org as a National School of Character. Character.org also strives each year to recognize and celebrate thousands of people in schools, organizations, workplace, families and communities across the world who are "champions for character."

Ipsos is one of the largest market research and polling companies globally, operating in 90 markets and employing over 18,000 people. Our passionately curious research professionals, analysts and scientists have built unique multi-specialist capabilities that provide true understanding and powerful insights into the actions, opinions and motivations of citizens, consumers, patients, customers, or employees. Our 75 solutions are based on primary data from our surveys, social media monitoring, and qualitative or observational techniques.

Media Contact:
Kate Johnson 
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SOURCE Character.org