African American Attitudes Toward Supporting Older Adults: Differences by Lifecourse Stage

African Americans express stronger norms of familism compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Frequently overlooked is whether attitudes toward family and/or government support for older adults vary by lifecourse stage (young adult, midlife, and older adults) and type of support among African Americans. Using data from the 2001-2003 National Survey of American Life Adult Reinterview (n=1696, aged 18-90), multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine whether attitudes toward family, equal family and government, or government responsibility for financial, household chores, and personal care support to older adults vary by lifecourse stage. Findings showed that for financial support, older adults had a lower likelihood than young adults of endorsing equal responsibility, whereas midlife adults had a higher likelihood than young adults of endorsing government responsibility. Older adults were more likely than young adults to endorse government responsibility for household chores and personal care support. Lifecourse stage is an important factor in African Americans’ attitudes toward family-based responsibility for supporting older adults, potentially reflecting differences in resources and awareness of the need for government involvement in different types of support.