Attitudes toward Grandparental Involvement in Hong Kong: A Trend Analysis

Abstract

This article examines individuals’ attitudes toward the involvement of grandparents in family issues in Hong Kong. While existing studies have largely focused on the nature and types of grandparents’ involvement in childcare, it is worth conducting a quantitative investigation of the attitudes in the general population about grandparental involvement. Drawing on the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017 waves of the Family Surveys, the study examined the trend in attitudes toward grandparental involvement with 8932 HK residents. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to assess individual and family relationship factors associated with the attitudes toward grandparental involvement. Results show that although most people held positive attitudes toward grandparental involvement, there was a significant drop in the agreement with grandparental involvement in 2017 across all age groups. The findings imply that intergenerational support tends to be weakened in HK in recent years. Involving grandparents in family issues in HK was more likely to be need-driven rather than value-driven, as parent respondents had relatively more positive attitudes toward grandparental involvement compared with non-parents. Positive family and intergenerational relationships were significantly associated with the positive attitudes toward grandparental involvement. Policymakers and service providers should recognize the changes in people’s attitudes toward family lives and provide appropriate support such as family counselling, (grand)parenting programs and childcare support to promote the wellbeing of families and older adults.