Fewer US grandparents taking care of grandchildren: Data

Associated Press Washington: Fewer grandparents were living with and taking care of grandchildren, there was a decline in young children going to preschool and more people stayed put in their homes in the first part of the 2020s compared with the last part of the 2010s, according to US Census Bureau data released Thursday, reflecting some of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The latest figures from the most comprehensive survey of American life compare the years 2014-2018 and 2019-2023, timeframes before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the virus' spread. The American Community Survey data show how lives were changed and family relationships altered by the pandemic and other occurrences like the opioid crisis.

The survey of 3.5 million households covers over 40 topics, including ancestry, fertility, marital status, commutes, veterans status, disability and housing. The decrease in grandparents' taking care of their grandchildren is most likely because opioidrelated deaths stabilised and then declined during the more recent timeframe since substance abuse is a leading reason grandparents find themselves raising grandchildren.

A reduction in the number of incarcerated women also likely played a role, said Susan Kelley, a professor emerita of nursing at Georgia State University. “It's very rarely for positive reasons that grandparents find themselves in this situation. Usually, it's a tragic situation in an adult child's life — either a death, incarceration or mental health issues," Kelley said.