According to the US Census Bureau, fewer grandparents were living and caring for grandchildren, fewer young children were attending preschool and more people were living at home in the early part of the 2020s than in the latter part of the 2010s. Data released Thursday, which reflect some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest figures from the most comprehensive study of American life compare the years 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, time periods before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the spread of the virus. The American Community Survey data shows how lives have been transformed and how family relationships have been transformed by the pandemic and other similar events the opioid crisis.
The survey of 3.5 million households covers more than 40 topics, including ancestry, fertility, marital status, commuting, veteran status, disability and housing.
The decline in grandparents’ care for their grandchildren is most likely due to a decline in opioid-related deaths in the more recent period since substance abuse has become more common. a leading reason that grandparents are going to raise grandchildren. A reduction in the number of incarcerated women likely also played a role, said Susan Kelley, professor emerita of nursing at Georgia State University.
“It is rare for grandparents to find themselves in this situation for positive reasons. Usually it is a tragic situation in an adult child’s life, whether it be a death, incarceration or mental health issues related to substance abuse,” Kelly said. “Many grandparents thrive in that role, but there are still socio-economic and emotional burdens on the grandparents. .”
A stronger economy in the most recent period may also be a reason that the number of grandparents living with their grandchildren has fallen from 7.2 million to 6.8 million, making it less likely that adult children with their own children will receive housing assistance from their parents were looking for. said.
The decline in the number of young children attending kindergarten stemmed from a reluctance to send young children to school and the closure of many schools at the height of the pandemic, according to the Census Bureau.
“This data shows how the COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on patterns of early childhood education,” the agency said in a separate report. “Future research will determine whether this was the start of a long-term trend or whether enrollment is returning to previous levels.”
Americans were getting older, with the average age rising from 37.9 to 38.7 and the share of seniors in the country rising from 16.8% to 15.2%. The share of households with a computer increased from almost 89% to almost 95%, as did the share of households with a broadband connection from 80% to almost 90%.
In addition, fewer people have moved and more people have stayed put in the most recent period compared to the previous period, in many cases due to rising house prices and the limited availability of homes to purchase.
Home values increased by 21.7% and the percentage of vacant homes fell from 12.2% to 10.4%. The average home value nationally rose from $249,400 to $303,400.
In some vacation communities popular with the wealthy, the increase was even more dramatic, such as in the county home to Aspen, Colorado, where the price went from $758,800 to $1.1 million, and in the county home to Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. , where it rose from $812,400 to $1.1 million.
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