Why should I care? Family old-age caregiving and preferences for family or public care provision in France

Abstract The rapid ageing of the European population in recent years has brought a significant increase in old-age care needs. While families remain the main care provider in most European countries, their capacity to care has decreased in the face of intensified pressures, calling for a strengthening of public care services. In this context, the discussion on whether families or the public sector should be responsible for providing old-age care gains relevance, and the preferences of family caregivers appear fundamental to ascertain whether families will continue to carry the main load or welfare states will need to step up. This longitudinal study tests whether transitioning into family old-age caregiving increases demand for public care provision and whether this effect is mediated by the impact of caregiver burden on well-being, using data from the Generations and Gender Survey for a three-wave panel sample of 4,587 respondents in France. Data are analysed through a causal mediation approach using linear fixed-effects and propensity score weights. The results suggest that starting to give old-age care increases demand for public services among women but makes men more supportive of family provision. These findings align with evidence of a gender gap in welfare attitudes.