Older People are Valued Family Members
In Hungarian families, 96% of grandparents maintain some form of contact with their grandchildren, and, in most families, older and younger people get on well with each other (86%). A sense of belonging is reflected in the fact that the majority of grandparents spend major family celebrations with their children and grandchildren (84%), according to the latest research by the Mária Kopp Institute for Demography and Families (KINCS). The representative survey also shows that the more grandchildren there are, the greater the feeling of happiness.
For thirty-three years, every year on 1 October, countries around the world have celebrated older people with festive events. In our country, the International Day of Older Persons is a particularly important and significant day, too.
Family bonds between older and younger people in Hungary are particularly strong, with the majority of families (69%) having at least weekly meetings between generations. Almost two thirds of grandparents (63%) are actively involved in raising children, according to a KINCS survey on the occasion of International Day of Older Persons. One in six families receive assistance from grandparents, and half of the families surveyed can rely on the older generation for childcare and household chores, for example half of families said, that grandchildren spend part of the summer holidays with their grandparents. Three quarters of respondents consider grandparents to be important in terms of mental support and four out of ten say can rely on them for financial support.
The Mária Kopp Institute survey also shows that it is not only the younger generations who can rely on their elders, but also the other way round: the majority of older people can count on their family members when it comes to joint activities (65%), health and medical care (61%), official administrative matters (47%), household chores (45%) or even financial support (30%).
Eight out of ten grandparents meet their grandchildren at least once a week, 41% of grandparents meet their grandchildren daily, 38% weekly, 6% more than once a month and 11% less often. On a scale of 1 to 10, those with three or more grandchildren have the highest levels of happiness and security (above 7).
Two thirds of older people surveyed have a medical condition for which they take medication, but eight out of ten say they exercise regularly and take care of their physical well-being. Most older people in Hungary are active and spend a lot of quality time, with two thirds (66%) having a hobby and more than half (55%) belonging to a non-family community, such as a religious one.
Methodology: The nationally representative survey was carried out by telephone among 1,000 adults in Hungary between the 12th and the 28th of July 2023.
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