Survey: Aging America comes with greater sense of duty by children

More Americans are providing personal and financial care to aging parents, often in tandem with assisting adult children, according to a Pew Research Center survey released Thursday.

The research uncovered the strong obligation Americans feel to look after older parents, with three out of four survey participants saying there's a duty to provide financial help if needed.

"It's certainly good news that the family is alive and well in the U.S.," said Frank Furstenberg, professor of sociology at the Population Studies Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

"The family is very actively involved in supporting both the elderly and the young. It's a challenging task and it's going to get more challenging," he added.

The number of Americans ages 65 and older will increase from nearly one in eight in 2010 to almost one in five by 2050, according to United Nations population projections. The median age will rise from 37 to 41.

Three out of 10 Americans with an older parent said they helped out financially in the past year. Nearly 60% said they assisted with personal care or daily tasks during that time as well, results show.

For comparison, the survey studied two other nations: Germany and Italy, which have the world's oldest populations after Japan. In both European countries, a third of residents will be over 65 years old by 2050.

In Germany, the median age by mid-century is projected to be 51. In Italy, that number is predicted to reach 50. Both countries have as many citizens over 65 today as the U.S. will by 2050.

The survey involved 1,500 to 1,700 adults in each of the three countries and was conducted between Oct. 27 and Dec. 18.

It found a large percentage of adults ages 40 to 59 in all three countries are "sandwiched" between caring for a minor child or providing assistance to an adult child and helping a parent who is 65 or older. About two-thirds of Italians fit that demographic compared with nearly half of Americans and 41% of Germans.

"Despite the added demand on this group ... those who are part of the sandwich generation are as likely as other adults to say they are generally happy with their lives," the Pew report found. "They are also no more likely than other adults to say helping an aging parent is stressful."

Researchers also found a strong cultural difference in opinions on what role the government should play in providing financial assistance to older residents.

"When it comes to who should be primarily responsible for people's financial well-being in their old age, Italians and Germans point to the government, while Americans say families or individuals themselves should be mostly responsible," said Juliana Menasce Horowitz, a co-author of the study.

Other key findings:

• Among those providing assistance to parents 65 and older, the vast majority — nearly 90% in the U.S. and Italy — said it is more rewarding than stressful.

• Almost half of Italians ages 50 to 64 said they have one adult child living with them versus 30% of Americans and 27% of Germans.

• Forty-six percent of Americans said they are in contact at least once a day with an adult child who is not living with them. That compares with 70% of Italians and 32% of Germans.

• Fourteen percent of Americans surveyed said they provide personal care such as bathing or assisting with getting dressed for aging parents. That figure was 13% in Germany and 26% in Italy.

"One or two decades ago, we used to think the family, because of its changing form and function, was being tremendously weakened," Furstenberg said. "This report suggests that inter-generational ties are very strong and active. And that's comforting as we approach a time when we're going to need both more family support and more public support."