—
Jennifer Ng’andu, managing director at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
More than meeting families
where they are, we need to
meet families at their aspirations
This is how we can ensure everyone has a safe, affordable place to call home.
Strengthen and enforce renter legal protections
Bridge the gap between incomes and housing costs by expanding rental assistance
Provide emergency rental assistance to families in crisis
Expand and preserve the supply of affordable homes
The lack of affordable homes affects each and every one of us—whether we face the threat of eviction, rising home prices, unaffordable rents, or worry about where our children and grandchildren will live.
Communities are stronger when families, grandparents, teachers, firefighters, and the people who provide essential services are able to afford to live in the communities where they work.
At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, we recognize housing as a key foundation for our country’s collective health and economic well-being.
Building a New Tomorrow
Even before the pandemic, 18 million families in the U.S., 1 in 7 households, were paying half or more of their income on housing.1
COVID-19 didn’t create today’s housing problems, but it has made them worse and shined a light on the disproportionate impact of housing instability on communities of color. It has also led to a growing awareness that things need to change.
As high housing costs increase financial burdens on more people, they also increase the number of children living in poverty, the number of families who don’t know where their next meal will come from, and the number of people suffering from poor health.
Imagine having to decide between paying rent or buying groceries.
vs.
$4,341
renters
All
$6,904
Monthly
Average Income:
(before taxes)
* Access the full report here and see here for full research methodology.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation believes that overall health and wellbeing should be accessible to every family in America. This study sought to amplify parents’ voices and foster an important dialogue about what it takes to set the next generation up for success. As the survey results show, spanning race and ethnicity, parents and caregivers harbor similar hopes and dreams — while also acknowledging very real obstacles — for their children to thrive.
Amplifying and uniting parents’ and caregivers’ voices
Family, culture, and faith supports also play an important role.
But they agree there should be strong support for families
Drawing on reserves of strength was a universal theme when it comes to parents’ and caregivers’ approach to weathering tough times. More than 94% of all parents and caregivers surveyed say they rely on their creativity, strong work ethic, and the belief that they have the power to change their family’s situation if the right conditions are in place.
Parents rise to the challenge
Government policies can be game-changing
Housing
Paid Family
Leave
Tax Credits
Health Care
Parents and caregivers strongly agreed that government policies should be devised and implemented with families at the forefront of the conversation.
Even in the face of anticipated challenges
More than 49% of all parents and caregivers surveyed said it was likely that their children may experience depression at some point in their childhood and teenage years.
More than 60% of all parents and caregivers surveyed expressed concerns that their children may experience anxiety and bullying.
Parents and caregivers across racial and ethnic groups agreed on the challenges their children may face as they grow up.
Providing children with greater opportunities for success than they had themselves was a near universal theme amongst parents and caregivers surveyed. An optimistic outlook for their children’s future guides parents and caregivers as they navigate obstacles along the way.
Optimism sets the course
What are parents’ and caregivers’ shared hopes and challenges? “Raising the Next Generation,” a new study commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, set out to answer these questions by surveying approximately 2,000 parents and caregivers in the United States.
Surveying an equal number of parents across five different racial and ethnic groups — Asian American and Pacific Islander, Black, Indigenous, Latino, and White — the results revealed important truths about parents’ desire to set their children up for success despite obstacles they see standing in the way.
Here’s a look at what parents and caregivers think about raising the most racially and ethnically diverse generation to ever grow up in the United States.
Story from the robert wood johnson foundation
Parents and caregivers share their hopes and challenges raising the next generation of children
Parents and caregivers share what it’s like to raise kids in America
Housing Cost
income
Median household
income
Median gross rent
Median home price
84%
White parents & caregivers
87%
Indigenous parents & caregivers
89%
Latino parents & caregivers
92%
Black parents & caregivers
94%
AAPI parents & caregivers
More than 91% of all parents and caregivers surveyed believe their children will have more opportunities to succeed than they had in their own childhood.
91%
Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY Network were not involved in the creation of this content
Concerns about systemic barriers are prevalent
Alongside personal struggles that children in America may face, a majority of parents and caregivers agreed that unequal access to opportunities is a very real hurdle. Fears about racism limiting access and opportunities for their children was shared amongst all parents surveyed, led by 91% of Black parents.
93%
More than 93% of all parents and caregivers surveyed agreed government policies and programs should be in place to help families bounce back from tough times.
70%
More than 70% of all parents and caregivers surveyed agreed that some children in America face more barriers than others
60%
49%
