The Importance of Grandparents in 2023: Insights from Legal & General’s Study
Introduction:
In April 2023, Legal & General commissioned a survey to explore the role of grandparents in modern society. The study surveyed 2,000 grandparents and 2,000 grandchildren, examining their intergenerational sharing experiences across four themes: hobbies, values, time, and influence. The findings provide insights into the evolving role of grandparents in families and society at large, as well as the lessons they impart upon their grandchildren.
Time: The Role of Grandparents in Childcare
Despite the challenges of distance, a resounding majority (84%) of grandparents agreed that they do not want to miss out on spending quality time with their grandchildren. In contrast, only 51% of grandchildren stated the same about their grandparents. The study also reveals that grandparents play a critical role in reducing childcare costs for their children and grandchildren. Almost half of grandparents (48%) stated that they enjoy taking care of their grandchildren to reduce the cost of childcare, with 17% of grandparents providing weekly childcare duties.
Regionally, grandparents in the North East spend the most time with their grandchildren (141 days), while those in the South West spend an average of 85 days. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on grandparent-grandchild relationships. Thirty-six percent of grandparents shared that they have spent more time with their grandchildren since the pandemic began, compared to 19% who have spent less time.
Influence: How Grandparents Make Meaningful Interventions
While some grandparents may fear overstepping boundaries, the study found that the vast majority feel valued when asked for advice on their grandchild’s upbringing. In fact, 74% of grandparents stated that they appreciate being asked for their opinion on family matters. Despite this, only 29% described themselves as decision-makers when it comes to their grandchildren’s upbringing.
Financial assistance is an obvious answer when it comes to the role of grandparents in their grandchildren’s lives. Almost half of grandparents (44%) have given money as a gift for birthdays or Christmas. However, Legal & General’s study highlights that grandparents’ influence goes beyond financial support. Grandparents play an essential role in various activities, such as the weekly school run, offering advice on school, schoolwork, chores, and relationships.
Hobbies: Sharing Interests Across Generations
The study shows that grandparents play a vital role in introducing hobbies to their grandchildren. Cooking, baking, gardening, and puzzles were the most frequently cited hobbies that grandparents introduced to their grandchildren, with 51%, 34%, 33%, and 31%, respectively. Moreover, crafting has witnessed a resurgence of interest in young people in recent years, with 32% of 18-24-year-olds stating that their grandparents taught them to sew or knit.
Values: Life Lessons Passed Down Through Generations
Regardless of age, grandchildren reported learning manners and politeness from their grandparents. This value peaked at 54% for 45-50-year-olds. Additionally, 30% of grandchildren said their grandparents have given them financial and money-saving advice, a valuable skill set, particularly in today’s tricky economic climate. In contrast, younger grandchildren aged between 18 and 24, reported receiving life lessons on friendship and relationships, with 34% citing this value as valuable. In contrast, only 14% of 45-50-year-olds cited the same lesson.
Additional Piece: Grandparents As Role Models in Modern Society
The role of grandparents in modern society has evolved as the world around them continues to change. The Legal & General study highlights the significant influence of grandparents in their grandchildren’s lives and the lessons they impart upon successive generations. Beyond providing financial support and taking care of grandchildren, grandparents are crucial role models who inspire their grandchildren and pass down valuable skills and knowledge.
One notable trend is the resurgence of crafting hobbies, particularly among younger people. The study found that knitting and sewing, in particular, have become increasingly popular. As the world becomes increasingly digitized, such traditional hobbies offer an essential counterbalance, providing a creative outlet and a chance to slow down and focus on something tangible.
Grandparents are also a great source of wisdom and guidance, with the majority of grandparents feeling valued when asked for advice on family matters. The study revealed that grandparents appreciate being consulted on a range of topics, from advice on school and schoolwork to relationships and chores. Such discussions provide crucial opportunities for intergenerational bonding, fostering shared experiences and values that will last a lifetime.
Conclusion (Summary):
Legal & General’s groundbreaking study provides essential insights into the role of grandparents in modern society. From reducing childcare costs to passing down essential life skills, grandparents continue to have an outsized impact on their grandchildren’s lives. Moreover, grandparents act as role models, inspiring and guiding their grandchildren and cultivating a range of critical values and skills such as manners, financial savvy, and crafting.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further cemented the enduring importance of grandparents in society. The study revealed that the pandemic has brought grandparents and grandchildren closer, with grandparents spending more time with their grandchildren than ever before. Overall, Legal & General’s study demonstrates the crucial role of grandparents in contemporary families and highlights the need to invest in intergenerational relationships. By doing so, we can ensure that grandparents continue to inspire and shape their grandchildren’s lives, enriching our society for years to come.
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April 2023 – Legal & General commissioned new research which surveyed 2,000 grandparents and 2,000 grandchildren to understand the role of the grandparent in 2023. The survey explores the extent to which there are still opportunities for inter-generational sharing in the post-lockdown world. The research was split into four themes – hobbies, values, time and influence. The results give an insight into the role grandparents play within families in 2023, and the lessons they pass on.
Is quality time priceless?
Many families are no strangers to long-distance grandparenting, so Legal & General wanted to get a picture of how much time UK grandparents spend with their grandchildren. The North East was revealed as the location where grandparents and grandchildren spent the most time together (141 days) while in the South West, the figure was 85 days.
A resounding majority (84%) of grandparents agreed that they don’t want to miss out on spending time with grandchildren, while just 51% of grandkids said the same of their grandparents. However, the nature of the time we all spend together is changing. The COVID-19 pandemic made a significant impact on how we spend time with loved ones. 36% of grandparents told us they’ve spent more time with their grandchildren since the pandemic, compared to just 19% who’ve spent less time.
Are modern grandparents influential?
The Legal & General survey also sheds light on how grandparents feel about everyday family interactions. There was some concern among grandparents about not wanting to interfere with childrearing; 64% of grandparents said they avoid decision-making as they do not wish to undermine the parents. However, 74% said they feel valued when they’re asked for advice on their grandchildren’s upbringing. Additionally, just 29% of grandparents described themselves as a “decision maker” in how their grandchildren are raised.
So how can grandparents make meaningful interventions? While financial assistance is an obvious answer – 44% of grandparents have given money as a birthday or Christmas gift – we found that grandparents play a key role in a host of other activities. Childcare costs have become a significant factor in parents’ lives, and almost half (48%) of grandparents said they spend time with their grandchildren to reduce the cost of childcare, while (17%) revealed that they provide childcare duties every week.
Percentage of grandparents who do the following activity every week
| TASK | % |
| Babysit / childcare | 17% |
| The school run | 13% |
| Advise on school / schoolwork | 12% |
| Allocate chores | 9% |
| Provide additional help when a grandchild or parent is ill | 8% |
| Advise on friends / relationships | 7% |
| Advise on jobs / work | 5% |
| Take child on holiday | 2% |
Nationally, 13% of grandparents said they do the weekly school run, and regionally, Yorkshire and the Humber were revealed as the region where grandparents do the school run most often – 125.11 mean days per year, compared to the South West (74.6 mean days).
Intergenerational hobbies and habit sharing
According to the grandchildren Legal & General surveyed, grandparents have been the inspiration behind countless hobbies and habits to last a lifetime. In fact, the research highlighted a surge of interest in crafting among young people. 32% of 18-24-year-olds revealed that they were taught sewing or knitting by their grandparents – more than twice as likely as 35-44-year-olds (15%) and 45-50-year-olds (15%).
What hobbies did your grandparents introduce you to?
| HOBBY | % |
| Cooking / baking | 51% |
| Gardening | 34% |
| Puzzles | 33% |
| Sports | 31% |
| Sewing / knitting | 26% |
| Collecting | 21% |
| Model building | 14% |
Modern values
Across grandchildren of all ages, manners and politeness are the most frequently cited life lessons learned from grandparents, peaking at 54% among 45-50-year-olds. 34% of the youngest cohort (18–24-year-olds) revealed that advice on friends or relationships has been the most important life lesson from their grandparents; in contrast, just 14% of 45-50-year-old grandkids said the same. Grandchildren (30%) also reported that they have received money-saving and financial advice from their grandparents – priceless knowledge in these tricky economic times.
What are the most important life lessons your grandparents taught you?
| VALUE | % |
| Manners/politeness | 51% |
| Money-saving / financial advice | 30% |
| Independence/self-sufficiency | 30% |
| Friends/relationship advice | 26% |
Paula Llewellyn, Chief Marketing Officer, and Direct MD of Legal & General Retail said:
“The study evokes a reminder of the immeasurable impact that grandparents have on their grandchildren’s lives. From imparting invaluable life lessons to providing emotional support, grandparents serve as beacons of wisdom and guidance for younger generations. In an age where the cost of living continues to bite, the study highlights how grandparents help ease the financial burden on their families while passing down important life skills. Amidst the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the study’s findings underscore the significance of preserving intergenerational connections and the values that grandparents impart to their grandchildren.”
The full details of this research can be found here: https://www.legalandgeneral.com/insurance/over-50-life-insurance/the-role-of-a-grandparent
https://fortuneherald.com/press-release/new-research-by-legal-general-reveals-the-modern-role-of-grandparents-in-2023/amp/
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