New Poll: 79 Percent Of American Parents Say Their Family Has Dinner Together Most Nights Of The Week
NBC News Parent Toolkit Poll, Sponsored by Pearson, Provides Insight into Today's Families
NEW YORK, March 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- According to an NBC News Parent Toolkit poll, families are gathering around the dinner table together more often than in previous years with nearly four in five parents surveyed (79 percent) reporting that they have dinner with their families most days of the week. This finding comes as recent research shows that teens who have frequent family dinners are more likely to be emotionally content, have high-quality relationships with their parents and be drug-free.1 Additionally, the youngest generation of parents, Millennials, reported spending more time with their families over meals than Baby Boomer parents.
The poll, sponsored by Pearson and conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates, also revealed that three-quarters of America's parents (75 percent) give high marks to the education their children receive. According to the poll, parents are roughly divided about how satisfied they are with involvement in their child's education. A little more than half (53 percent) say they are satisfied with their level of involvement, but almost as many parents (47 percent) wish they could do more. In addition, the poll found that:
- 51 percent of parents believe that schools are not preparing kids to enter the job market if they do not choose to go on to college.
- 86 percent of parents say children need more than a high school degree to achieve the American Dream.
- 48 percent of parents believe their children will be better off than they are, while 40 percent say their children be worse off. When broken down by race, however, Hispanics are the most optimistic with 65 percent believing their children will be better off, followed by 59 percent of African-Americans. White parents were least optimistic with only 40 percent reporting they think their children will be better off.
"We understand that parents are looking for the best ways to be engaged and support their children's education and development," said Dr. Michele Borba, an internationally renowned educator and expert in parenting, bullying, and youth violence, and featured expert on the Parent Toolkit website. "That's why NBC News' Parent Toolkit offers parents grade-by-grade benchmarks, health and wellness tips, and advice on emotional and social development, to support their child's success in the classroom and beyond."
To coincide with the release of today's poll results, NBC News' award-winning Parent Toolkit – a free online resource and mobile app for parents navigating their children's development in the classroom and beyond – will host a live Twitter chat Tuesday, March 17 at 7 p.m. ET on parent engagement. Parents can join the conversation online using the hashtag #ToolkitTalk. In addition, a free webinar with Dr. Borba, moderated by NBC News Chief Education Correspondent Rehema Ellis, will be offered on Wednesday, March 18 from 1 to 1:30 p.m. ET on http://bit.ly/1HVAOPP for parents, educational organizations, and members of the media who want more information about the poll findings. Additional analysis can be found at ParentToolkit.com/Poll, which is also available in Spanish.
1Source: "The Importance of Family Dinners VIII." Casa Columbia. September 2012. http://www.casacolumbia.org/addiction-research/reports/importance-of-family-dinners-2012.
About this Poll
NBC News Parent Toolkit, in conjunction with Pearson, worked with Princeton Survey Research Associates to conduct the Parenting in America Poll. Parents, guardians, or primary caregivers of children ages 3-18 in the continental United States were polled. A total of 803 interviews were completed. The margin of error is +/-4.1 percent at the 95 percent confidence level. Interviews were conducted by telephone in English and Spanish Oct. 28-Nov. 16, 2014.
About NBC News
NBC News is a global leader in news across all broadcast and digital platforms. Its leading and award-winning television news broadcasts include NBC Nightly News, TODAY, Meet the Press and Dateline, as well as primetime specials and breaking news reports. The rapidly-growing NBC News Digital Group, along with the well-established NBC News Radio with 750 stations nationwide, provide continuous content to consumers wherever they are, whenever they want it. NBC News also operates Peacock Productions, an award-winning in-house production company, and the NBC NewsChannel affiliate news service. NBC News is part of the NBCUniversal News Group, a division of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corporation.
About Pearson
Pearson is the world's leading learning company, with 40,000 employees in more than 80 countries working to help people of all ages to make measurable progress in their lives through learning. For more information about Pearson, visit www.pearson.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Tara Smith, NBCUniversal News Group, [email protected]
Stacy Skelly, Pearson, [email protected]
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SOURCE NBC News
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