Parents and Children Interacted More During COVID-19

Pandemic brought parents and children closer: More family dinners, more reading to young children. Learn more in this America Counts story.

America Counts: Stories Behind the Numbers Parents and Children Interacted More During COVID-19 The Covid-19 pandemic upended many family dynamics but one positive consequence of this upheaval: Parents shared more dinners and read to their children more often, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2020 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). Many families spent extra time together in spring and summer 2020, when lockdowns were in place in many parts of the United States. Read More Most interviews for the 2020 SIPP were conducted during March-June 2020. The data show that parental interactions with children changed from prior years: While parents shared more dinners and read to children more often in 2020, they also took them on fewer outings. There were, however, big differences depending on parents' socioeconomic characteristics. Frequent outings with young children dropped for most parents, but more so for parents with fewer economic resources. And parents who were married and more educated read more often to young children. Continue reading to learn more about: SIPP and parental involvement Impact of COVID-19 on parental involvement Parent-child outings dropped in almost all categories Frequent reading to children increased among advantaged parents Parent characteristics impacted by nonresponse bias About the SIPP Help us spread the word about America Counts. Share this story on social media or forward it to a friend. Share This You May Be Interested Number of Children Living Only With Their Mothers Has Doubled in Past 50 Years: Newly released Current Population Survey tables show the percentage of children under 18 who live with two parents declined since 1968. Learn More About America Counts America Counts tells the stories behind the numbers in a new inviting way. It features stories on various topics such as families, housing, employment, business, education, economy, emergency management, health, population, income and poverty. Contact our Public Information Office for media inquiries or interviews. Don't miss an America Counts story! Subscribe here.

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