The Pew Research Center recently released findings of a survey revealing how Black Americans think about and support their families. Compared to other adults, Black Americans are more likely to say their family includes someone who is not a direct relative. Over three-quarters of Black Americans have at least one non-relative they consider family, and 55 percent have more than one non-relative in their families. In contrast, only 63 percent of other adults say they have at least one non-relative family member.
Black Americans are also more likely than other adults to feel close to extended family members, including grandparents (48 percent versus 33 percent), cousins (42 percent versus 20 percent), and/or aunts or uncles (36 percent versus 19 percent). Furthermore, Black Americans are significantly more likely to turn to these extended family members for emotional support.
Although they are more likely to report financial strain, Black Americans are more likely than other Americans to personally give money to their family members. Nearly 6 in 10 Black Americans say they have financially supported a family member in the past year, with 51 percent of this group saying giving money hurt their own personal finances. In contrast, 42 percent of other adults have recently provided financial support to their family, with 35 percent saying those actions hurt their personal finances.
Many Black adults in the United States (58 percent) say they generally consider other Black Americans to be their brothers or sisters. Nearly 80 percent say they feel a responsibility to look out for other Black Americans, with 39 percent who say they feel this responsibility extremely or very often and 39 percent who feel it somewhat often.
Within the Black population, Black adults under age 50 are more likely than older Black adults to provide emotional support to their family. Yet, younger Black adults are just as likely to receive emotional support from a family member. By gender, Black women, particularly those under age 50, are more likely than Black men to both give and receive emotional and financial support.
