New Study Shows Parents and Caretakers Are More Involved Than Ever and Mental Health is Their Top Priority

Berlin Cameron recently partnered with Kantar, The Female Quotient, and Romper to poll 1,000 male and female caretakers to find out whether they find themselves diving into more activism, after the last 15 months of political, social, and world health unrest. The good news is: Parents and caretakers are more involved than ever, with one third of parents considering themselves activists and one in four reporting that they’re more active in that area than the year prior. And they’re passionate about activism to create a better world for their children, with 70% calling it the reason they get involved.

While that passion for activism is clearly a positive, one number in the poll really struck me: The largest percentage (35%) of parents think mental health is the issue that’s most affecting their families, with females being more concerned about mental health than their male counterparts. That number was even higher for the women we polled. It’s no wonder, when you think about it: Even within those social, political, and health issues, our own families have been at the forefront of the headlines as well. Women have had to drop out of the workforce in record numbers, and families have had to adapt and shoulder even more caretaking responsibilities than ever before as the pandemic took away most of the social support systems for our children (schools, sports, activities, etc.).

The takeaway here is: America’s families are struggling. The country was already having a mental health crisis before the pandemic hit, but the challenges of the pandemic brought the crisis even further to the forefront. Families are struggling to find the mental health resources that they need and the help to get their families back on track.