Pops culture fatherattitude

POP’S CULTURE:
A National Survey of Dads’
Attitudes on Fathering

TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Executive Summary 2
Introduction 4
A Profile Of The Survey Respondents

The Respondents’ Attitudes
About Fatherhood and Themselves as Fathers 6
The Replacability of Fathers
How Marriage Affects Fathering
Attitudinal Support for Government Help to Fathers
Belief in a Father-Absence Crisis
Other Attitudes and Perceptions

Respondents’ Perceptions Of
Obstacles To Good Fathering 16

The Respondents’ Performance As Fathers 20

Sources To Aid Fathering 24

Conclusions 26

Endnotes 28

Technical Appendix 29

© 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org Fathering Attitudes Survey

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A
telephone survey of 701 American 4 A summary index of the conditions that the
4.
men selected to be representative of respondents perceived to be obstacles to good
American fathers age 18 and older with fathering revealed substantial differences
among the different kinds of fathers. Among
at least one biological or adopted child (not those who perceived the greatest obstacles
a stepchild) under the age of 18 yielded the were those not married to the mothers of
following findings: their “focal child” (the child selected for
special attention by the survey), those who
“Ninety-nine 1 Ninety-one percent of the respondents
1. did not live with that child, those who had
agreed that there is a father-absence crisis one or more stepchildren, and older fathers
percent of in the country, but strong agreement in low-income households.
varied considerably among the different
the fathers kinds of respondents, being relatively low
agreed that among the very young, the less religious, 5 When the respondents were asked which of
5.
eight possible sources of help they had drawn
and those in high-income households.
being a father upon to be a better father, “wife, partner, or
was a very 2 Eighty-one percent of the surveyed
2.
child’s mother” was most frequently chosen
(by 89 percent of the respondents), followed
important fathers agreed that men generally perform by “other fathers or men,” their own mother,
better as fathers if they are married to
part of who the mothers of their children. Fifty-
and then their own father. About half had
received help from a place of worship, and
they are...” seven percent “strongly agreed” and only only 29 percent had sought help from a
eight percent “strongly disagreed.” The professional person.
respondents less inclined to support
the importance of marriage to good
fathering include those low in religiosity, 6 Among the respondents as a whole, “work
6.
the youngest respondents, and those not responsibilities” was most frequently given
married to the mothers of their child or as an obstacle to being a good father, with
children. The relatively low support for 47 percent saying that it was “a great deal”
marriage among the youngest respondents or “somewhat” of an obstacle. “The media/
is consistent with results from other popular culture” and “financial problems”
surveys that suggest a decline in pro- ranked next. The fathers not married to
marriage attitudes. the mother of the “focal child” reported
resistance and lack of cooperation from that
mother to be the most important obstacle to
3 Only slightly more than half of the fathers
3. their being good fathers, followed by “work
agreed, and less than a fourth “strongly responsibilities,” “financial problems,” and
agreed,” that they felt adequately prepared “treatment of fathers by the courts.”
for fatherhood when they first became
fathers. Although 78 percent agreed that
they now have the necessary skills and 7 Sixty-seven percent of the respondents agreed
7.
knowledge to be good fathers, only a third that the government should do more to help
“strongly agreed.” and support fathers, but strong agreement
that more government assistance is needed
was relatively infrequent among “very
religious” respondents and those in higher

Fathering Attitudes Survey © 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org

income households. In contrast, African American 10 Respondents who did not live with their “focal child”
10.
fathers were very favorable toward government were much more likely than other fathers to say that
assistance. they did not spend enough time with that child and
that they did not feel very close to that child. More
8 A small majority of the respondents agreed with
8. surprising, respondents who had a stepchild or
statements that fathers are replaceable by mothers (53 stepchildren under age 18 reported feeling distinctly
percent) and by other men (57 percent), although very less close to their own focal child than did other fathers
few “strongly agreed” with the statements. Those most regardless of whether or not they lived with their focal
likely to agree that fathers child. How close the respondents
are replaceable were the felt to their focal child varied
respondents with little inversely with the age of that child,
education, but those with that is, on average they felt closest
graduate degrees also were to infants and very young children
relatively likely to agree and least close to teenagers.
that other persons can be
adequate substitutes for 11 Ninety-nine percent of the
fathers. The “very religious” fathers agreed that being a
fathers were less likely father was a very important
than the less religious ones part of who they are, and 94
to think that fathers are percent “strongly agreed.” At a
replaceable. minimum, these findings indicate
a strong social norm that being a
9 Fathers of infants and
9. father should be a crucial aspect of
very young children did a father’s identity.
not differ much from
one another in their
reported activities with
their offspring, but fathers
of older children and
adolescents reported
considerably more activities
with their “focal child” if
they lived with that child,
were well-educated, and
did not have a stepchild or
stepchildren.


INTRODUCTION
One of the more important developments
in American society in recent years has been
the growth of awareness of the importance
of responsible fatherhood to the well-being
and proper development of children and to
the health of the society as a whole. It would
be an exaggeration to claim that a consensus
has emerged on this issue–there remains a
“Our primary few “family diversity” advocates who deny the
importance of fathers and what they do for
purpose in children. But those who deny the importance of
conducting fatherhood seem to be increasingly irrelevant in
the public discourse.
the survey Important unanswered questions remain,
was to gauge however, about the bases of responsible
the fathering- fatherhood and how those who would promote
it can best attain that goal. The telephone
related survey that yielded the findings reported here
attitudes, was conducted to help answer those questions.
We, the authors of this report, designed the
perceptions, survey in collaboration with advisors at National
and behaviors Fatherhood Initiative (NFI), the organization at
the forefront of efforts to promote responsible
...” fatherhood, in order to provide information
useful to NFI, its partners, and the many
individuals and organizations that serve fathers
and families. Our primary purpose in conducting
the survey was to gauge the fathering-related
More specifically, our purpose was to provide
attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors of fathers
insight into why some fathers perform their
age 18 and older in the United States in a sample
fatherhood role more effectively than others,
as representative of that population as can be
to assess what the fathers perceived to be major
attained for a telephone survey. Many of the
obstacles to good fathering, and to provide
questions pertain to how the respondents viewed
promoters of responsible fatherhood with
fatherhood in general, but many others relate
information about how they can more effectively
to the respondents’ relationship to one of their
accomplish their task.
children under age 18. Every father in the sample
had at least one child (not a stepchild) under
age 18, and if the respondent had only one child
in that age range, that child was designated the
“focal child,” about which many questions were
asked. If the respondent had more than one
child under age 18, the focal child was the one
with the most recent birthday.


A PROFILE OF THE SURVEY
RESPONDENTS
The 701 respondents to the survey varied in age from 18 (the
minimum age for qualifying for inclusion in the sample) to
68, the median age being 41. Thirteen percent of the fathers
were under age 30, 12 percent were age 50 or older, and three
quarters were in the age range of 30 through 49. Thirty-five
percent had only one child under age 18, while four percent
had five or more, and 12 percent had at least one offspring
age 18 or older. Ten percent had at least one stepchild under
age 18, and nine percent lived with at least one pre-adult
stepchild. The marital status distribution is 85 percent
married (with 78 percent married to the mother of the
focal child selected for attention in this study), nine percent
divorced, fewer than one percent widowed, and six percent
never-married. Of those who were married, 22 (about three
percent of the total sample) were not living with their wives.
Six percent of all respondents were living with women to
whom they were not married, and four percent had romantic
relationships with women with whom they did not live. Three
percent lived with the focal child’s mother but were not
married to her, and 90 percent of the respondents lived with
their focal child.
Seventy-seven percent of the sampled fathers lived with
their biological or adoptive father when they were age 16, 11
percent lived with their mother only, and seven percent lived
with their mother and a stepfather. The rest had other living
arrangements, such as living with grandparents.
Twenty-seven percent of the sampled fathers said that they
were “very religious,” and ten percent said that they were “not
at all religious.” The religious preferences of the respondents
include 21 percent Catholic, 42 percent Protestant or
Christian (unspecified denomination or type), four percent
Mormon, and 20 percent with no religious preference.


THEFATHERHOOD AND THEMSELVESATTITUDES
ABOUT
RESPONDENTS’ AS FATHERS
The respondents to the survey were asked 14
questions concerning their attitudes about
fatherhood in general, about their views of
themselves as fathers, and about their own
fathers. These questions were in the form of
statements about which the respondents could
choose “strongly agree,” “somewhat agree,”
“somewhat disagree,” or “strongly disagree.” The
“...responses combined “strongly agree” and “somewhat agree”
percentage for each statement is given in Table
do indicate 1, in which the statements are divided into those
that there is a about fatherhood in general and those about
the respondents’ or their fathers’ performance,
strong norm qualifications, and feelings as fathers.
in American A majority of the respondents agreed with each
society that of the statements, but the “agree” percentages
vary from 99 percent in the case of the statement
being a father that being a father is an important aspect of
should be an the respondent’s identity to 53 percent for the
statement that mothers can adequately substitute
important for fathers.
part of a The question about fatherhood being an
father’s sense important part of the respondent’s identity is
of who he the kind that is likely to elicit “socially desirable”
responses, that is, those that reflect well on the
is...” respondent and that are not necessarily honest.
It is perhaps not surprising that in a sample of
percent agreed that there is a “father-absence”
701 men who acknowledged that they are fathers,
crisis in the country, only 62 percent “strongly
only five failed to agree that being a father is
agreed.” Some, but not all, of the questions elicited
an important part of who they are and only 45
responses that varied considerably by such variables
failed to “strongly agree.” This is an example of a
as the age, education, and religiosity of the fathers.
survey question that proves not to be very useful
because there is very little variation in responses Space limitations preclude discussion of all of these
to it. However, the responses do indicate that variations, but a few have special policy relevance or
there is a strong norm in American society that should be of special interest to persons who would
being a father should be an important part of a understand the bases of responsible fatherhood in
father’s sense of who he is. the United States.
All of the other questions elicited much more
varied responses. For instance, although 92
percent of the respondents agreed that they
received a lot of respect for being fathers, only
52 percent “strongly agreed,” and although 91


TABLE 1. Percentage of Respondents Who Agreed
(“Strongly” or “Somewhat”) with Selected Statements
(“Not sure” and similar responses are excluded from the base for the percentages.
The base varies from 684 to 701 cases for the different percentages.)

Attitudes and Perceptions About Fathering in General
There is a “father-absence” crisis in the United States today. 91%
All else being equal, men perform best as fathers if they are
married to the mothers of their children. 81
The government should do more to help and support fathers. 67
The media (e.g., commercials and TV shows) tend to portray
fathers in a negative light. 65
If a child does not have an involved father, a male role model,
such as a teacher or a family friend, can be an adequate
substitute for a father. 57
If a child does not have an involved father, a mother can be just
as effective preparing a child to be a well-adjusted and
productive adult. 53
Personally Relevant Attitudes and Perceptions
Being a father is a very important part of who you are. 99%
You get a lot of respect for being a father. 92
You now feel that you have all of the necessary knowledge and
skills to be a good father. 78
As a father, you feel a responsibility to help other fathers improve
their fathering skills. 77
In general, you are a better father than your own father was to you. 76
You had an involved, responsible father while you were growing up. 74
You are inspired to be a better dad when you see and/or hear
advertisements and media featuring good fathers. 64
When you first became a father, you felt adequately prepared
for fatherhood. 54


THE REPLACEABILITY OF Graduate degree 3

FATHERS
Arguably the most important debate about Bachelorʼs degree 2.7

fatherhood in the United States today is about
the necessity and irreplaceability of fathers. Some college 2.9

One point of view is that good biological or
adoptive fathers perform functions that cannot HS completion
“Those who
3.2
be adequately performed by anyone else, even
believe most though such others as male teachers and family
friends can be partial substitutes for good fathers.
No HS completion 3.5

strongly in the The opposing view is that a variety of family
importance forms can adequately serve children and that no
one kind of family structure should be favored
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

FI
of fathers will over others or presented as an ideal.
FIGURE 1. Mean Replaceability of Fathers Index, by Education

be concerned Those who believe most strongly in the
to learn that importance of fathers will be concerned to
Graduate degree
learn thatdegree
Graduate a majority (though a small majority) 15.8
No
a majority
3

of the fathers we surveyed seemed to think that
(though they are replaceable. Fifty-seven percent of the
Bachelorʼs degree 2.7

respondents agreed with the statement “If a N
a small child does not have an involved father, a male
Some college
majority) of Some college 15.1
role model, such as a teacher or family2.9 friend,
can be an adequate substitute for a father,” Mod
the fathers andHS completion agreed that “If a child does not
53 percent 3.2
HS completion 21.8

we surveyed have an involved father, a mother can be just as
effective in preparing a child to be a well-adjusted No HS completion
seemed to No HS completion
and productive adult.” However, the “strongly
3.5
31.6

think that agree” percentages for both statements are much
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Mixed/other
0 5 10 15 20
49.3
25 30 35
smaller, 13 and 20 respectively, and are exceeded
they are FIGURE 1.“strongly disagree”Fathers Index, by Education
by the Mean Replaceability of responses, which are FIGURE 2. Mean Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to FIG
replaceable.” 19 and 23, respectively. Thus, while only about a Father Replaceability Statements, by Education
fifth of the fathers strongly believed that fathers Black/African American 65.7

are NOT replaceable, a strong belief that they by recoding the response alternatives so that the
ARE replaceable was even rarer. This suggests higher numbers represent belief in replaceability
that a large percentage of the fathers who do not and by summing Whitescores from the two relevant
the 29.4
now take a strong position about the importance questions. A multivariate statistical analysis,
of fathers might be persuaded to do so. the results of which are not presented here,
It is important, therefore, to examine how revealed important variation in the index values70
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
attitudes on this issue are distributed among the by education and by religiosity that could not be
different kinds of fathers. For this purpose, we explained 9. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses towas
FIGURE by variation of other kinds. There Statement
constructed a “replaceability of fathers index” no importantGovernment Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Race
that More variation by household income, race,
or the age of the fathers, and although fathers not

100,000 and more 15.2

Mixed/other 49.3
75,000-99,999 25

36.2

Not married to childʼs mother 18.8
Did not live with child 5.1

Married to childʼs mother 20.8
living with their children were more likely than others to say Lived with child 8.1

Graduate degree 15.8
that they believe in the replaceability of fathers, this difference
3 Not at all religious 3.2

is fully explained by the lower average education of the
nonresident fathers.Bachelorʼs degree
2.7
9.7
0 5 10 15 20 25
0 25 30 35 40 0 2 4 6 8
Not very religious 3.4
The variation in the index values by education is shown in
Some college 25. Mean Activities with Child 0-5
ents Who Said That They The fathers most likely to believe that fathers are Index, by Whether
FIGURE 15.1 FIGURE 26. Mean Activities with Child 6-17 Index,
Figure 1.
2.9
al Child, by Age of Child or Not Respondant Was Married to Mother of Focal Child Whether or Not Respondant Lived with Focal Chi
replaceable were those with the least education, and the mean Moderately religious 3.1
Mo
3.2
HS completion
index scores decrease steadily with increases in education 21.8

up through a bachelor’s degree. However, the fathers with
graduate degrees were HS completion than those with only 31.6
No more likely Very religious 2.5
3.5
bachelors’ degrees to choose the “replaceability” responses,
and this difference is statistically significant (which means
5 2 2.5 3 it 3.5unlikely to have occurred 0 chance). 15 20 25 30 35
that is by
5 10
The relative
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

length of the bars FIGURE 2. Meanmight lead “Strongly believe that to
in Figure 1 Percentage of one to Agree” Responses FIGURE 3. Mean Replaceability of Fathers Index, by Religiosity
rs Index, by Education
the differences among the educational levels are not very
Father Replaceability Statements, by Education
important, but the data in Figure 2 on the percentages of
respondents who “strongly agreed” with the replaceability
statements more accurately reveal the importance of the
differences. Those respondents with the least education were
about three times as likely as those with a bachelor’s degree Not at all religious 21.3

aduate degree “strongly agree” that fathers are replaceable—clearly an
to 8.2

important difference.
helorʼs degree 7.8
Belief in the replaceability of fathers by respondents at
the lower educational levels may result largely from lack of
Some college
exposure to information7.8
about the importance of fathers, but Moderately religious 16.9

we speculate that the relatively high score for the fathers with
HS completion most education reflects a prevalence of an ideological
the 7.4

commitment to “family diversity” at that educational level. Very religious 10
Not at all religious
100,000 and more 15.2 4

49.3 If so, the attitudes of the low-education fathers are likely to
HS completion 6.4
be amenable to change through educational efforts while 0 5 10 15 20 25
75,000-99,999
those of the highly educated fathers may be more resistant to 25 Not very religious
0 2 4 6 8 10
change.
65.7
50,000-74,999 33.1 FIGURE 4. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Father
GURE 27. Mean Activities with Child 6-17 Index, by“very religious” respondents were
As would be expected, the Education Replaceability Statements, by Religiosity religious
Moderately
less likely to consider fathers replaceable than were the less
35,000-49,999
religious ones (Figure 3), but the differences among those 45.5
said that they were “very religious.” “Very religious” persons
who said that they were “moderately religious,” “not very
9.4
Very religious
are clearly a major source of support for the view that fathers
religious,” and “not at all religious” are not 35,000 enough to
Under large 56.9
are irreplaceable, but they constitute only 27 percent of the
be important (and are not statistically significant). Again, fathers we surveyed.
the percentages of respondents who said that they 0 10 20 30 40 50 60
“strongly 0 10 20 30
30 40 50 60 70
agreed” give a better indication of the importance of the FIGURE 11. Percentage of “Strongly A
ee” Responses to Statement
differences (see Figure 4), and those percentages for the leastAgree” Responses to Statement that
FIGURE 10. Percentage of “Strongly Statement that there is a Father-Absenc
athers Is Needed, by Race
religious categories are about twiceMore Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Household Income
those for respondents who


HOW MARRIAGE Not at all religious
Not at all religious 37.1
AFFECTS FATHERING 3.2

Another important debate is about the extent to
Not very religious marriages to the mothers3.4 their Not very religious 43.5
which men’s of
children affect their performance as fathers.
There is a great deal of evidence that these
Moderately religious 3.1
marriages promote effective fathering2 (including
21.8
“The most evidence from our survey reported below), but an
striking 31.6
opposing point of view is that only the parents’
Very religious
cooperation is needed in order 2.5 men to be
for
Very religious 76

relationship of good fathers. (We assume that almost everyone
the responses
20 25 30 35 would agree that0.5 1 cooperation is3more likely
0 such 1.5 2 2.5
if the mother and father are married to one
3.5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

gree” about to
FIGURE 5. Percentage of “Strongly Agree”
Responses FIGURE 3. Mean Replaceability of Fathers Index, by However,
another and have a good marriage.) Religiosity Responses to Statement about Importance of
y Education
marriage and 19 percent of the respondents to our survey
disagreed with the statement that “All else
Martiage to Fatherhood, by Religiosity

fatherhood being equal, men perform best as fathers if they
is to whether are married to the mothers of their children,”
and only 57 percent strongly agreed with the
or not the
3.2
Not at all religious It is important, therefore, to identify
statement. 37.1 50 and older 62.6

respondent the kinds of fathers who are least likely to see a
strong connection between marriage and good
was married
3.4
fathering.
Not very religious 43.5 40-49 59.3

to the mother A multivariate analysis, the results of which are
of the focal Moderately religious here, revealed three variables to
3.1
not reported 55.2 30-39 57.6
be independently related to the responses to
child.” the importance-of-marriage question, namely,
15.2
religiosity, respondent’s age,Not at all 76religious
and whether or not 42.6
18-29 41.8
Very religious
the respondent was married to the mother of
Not very religious
25 the focal child (the respondent’s child under age
5 3 3.5 0 10 20 30 40 50Not very religious
60 70 80
18 about which detailed questions were asked
56.5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

on FIGURE 5. Percentage ofvariables as education,
the survey). Such “Strongly Agree” FIGURE 6. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses toModerately religious
Statement
33.1
by Religiosity race, and householdabout Importance of bear an
Responses to Statement income do notreligious
Moderately
about Importance of Marriage to Fatherhood, by Respondentʼs Age
59.4
important relationship by Religiosity
Martiage to Fatherhood, to the responses when the
45.5 other explanatory variables are statistically held Very religious 0
constant. as for those who said they were not at all religious
Very religious 75.5
56.9
The relationship between religiosity and agreeing (see Figure 5). Only eight percent of the very
0
with the importance-of-marriage question is, 10 20 30 40 50 persons, compared with 26 percent of
0
religious
60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 as60
would be expected, quite strong, with the the not-at-all-religious ones, disagreed with the Association (Gam
FIGURE 12.
FIGURE 11. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to shown graphically).Question with Responses to G
percentage of “strongly agree” responses being statement (data not
e of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement that Statement that there is a Father-Absence Crisis, by Religiosity
twice as great for the very religious respondents
upport of Fathers Is Needed, by Household Income The responses to the importance-of-marriage

50 and old
10 Fathering Attitudes Survey
Not at all religious © 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative
0.366
www.fatherhood.org
all religious 42.6

question relate less strongly to the age of the respondents
50 and older
than to religiosity, the main difference being that the62.6
fathers
under age 30 considered marriage less important than did
the older ones (see Figure 6). This finding is consistent with Not married to childʼs mother 30.1

40-49 59.3
findings from NFI’s National Marriage Survey conducted in
2004, which found the youngest adults to be less pro-marriage
than the older ones.3 It is not clear whether the relatively weak
30-39 57.6
support for marriage among the youngest adults will persist M
as these people grow older or whether they will become more
Married to childʼs mother 64.8
pro-marriage as they reach middle age.
76 18-29 41.8

The most striking relationship of the responses about
marriage and fatherhood is to whether or not the respondent
70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
was married to the mother of the focal child (see Figure 7), 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

” the percentage of “strongly agree” responses Responses to Statement
FIGURE 6. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” being more FIGURE 7. “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement about
F
of than twice as great for those married Fatherhood, by Respondentʼs
about Importance of Marriage toto the mother as for Age Importance of Marriage to Fatherhood, by Whether or Not
th
those not married to her. This finding is hardly surprising, Respondent Was Married to Mother of Focal Child
but the reasons for it are likely to be complex. At least to
some extent, a lack of belief in the importance of marriage
62.6
is likely to account for the lack of the men’s marriage to the
mothers of their children, and these fathers may have a need Not at all religious 38.9

to rationalize their situation. Probably more 30.1
Not married to childʼs mother important is that
59.3 some of the men’s co-parenting experiences with the mothers
may have been problematic, and those divorced from the Not very religious 41.5

mothers (who can’t be identified in the survey data) may have
57.6 experienced unsuccessful co-parenting before the divorce. If
so, the men’s personal experiences may have colored their Moderately religious 32.6
10
views about marriage and childʼs mother general.
Married to mothers in 64.8 50 and older 67

Very religious 27

ATTITUDINAL SUPPORT 40-49 62.5

Not very religious GOVERNMENT 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
FOR HELP TO
0 60 70
0.208
0 10 20 30 40 50
FATHERS 7. “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement about
ses to Statement
espondentʼs Age
FIGURE
30-39FIGURE 8. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement
Importance of Marriage to Fatherhood, by Whether or Not 63.4

Moderately religious interest Respondent Was Married to Mother of Focal Child
Of special 0.134to activists in the movements to that More Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Religiosity
promote responsible fatherhood and healthy marriages are
advocates of state and federal programs to promote
the responses to the question about whether or not the 18-29 48.4

Very religious responsible fatherhood is that “very religious” fathers, who
government should do more to help and support fathers.
0.064

are among the strongest supporters of responsible fatherhood,
Although agreement among the respondents that the
as a whole seem not to 30 very enthusiastic70
0 10 20 be 40 50 60 about the
government should do0.2
0 0.1 more 0.3 moderately high, a third did
was 0.4
FIGURE 13. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses One possible reason is
government assistance (see Figure 8). to Statement F
not agree that greater government assistance is needed, and
GURE 12. Associationthird “strongly agreed” that the government should give athat There is a Father-Absence Crisis, by of religiosity with economic
moderately high association Respondentʼs Age
only a (Gamma) of Responses to Father-Absence Crisis
estion with Responses to Government-Support Question, by Religiosity conservatism and the fact that economic conservatives
more help and support.
tend not to favor government social programs. However, a
A finding that may cause some consternation among multivariate analysis shows that 79 percent of the association
100,000 and more 49.7
50 and older 67

75,000-99,999
11
58.9
40-49 62.5

50,000-74,999 61.1


Not very religious

Some college 2.9 Some college 15.1

Moderately religious
HS completion 3.2
HS completion 21.8

No HS completion 3.5
No HS completion 31.6 Very religious

of religiosity with responses to the “governmental
0 support” question 2.5 3 3.5
0.5 1 1.5 2 remains after 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 0 0
such variables Mixed/other 49.3

as race, education, age of the respondents, and
FIGURE 2. Mean Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to FIGURE 3. Mean Replacea
FIGURE 1. Mean Replaceability of Fathers Index, by Education
household income are statistically held constant. Replaceability Statements, by Education
Father
It seems, therefore, that religiosity itself, or
something closely associated with it, may Black/African American 65.7

contribute to lack of support for government
programs for fathers. For instance, some highly
“...more religious persons may believe that assistance to
fathers is best left to churches and other religious White 29.4

religious organizations.
respondents A multivariate analysis shows that household 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
were more income and race are strongly related to attitudes
FIGURE 9. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement
about government assistance when several
likely to other variables are statistically held constant.
that More Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Race

perceive African Americans are unusually likely to favor
the government assistance while fathers with
a father- Mixed/otherhigh household income are unusually likely
49.3
100,000 and more 15.2

absence crisis not to favor it (see Figures 9 and 10). The latter
75,000-99,999 25
relationship suggests that the support of high-
than the less income persons for the government programs
religious Americanmay be very hard to get. However, we report
Black/African 65.7
50,000-74,999 33.1

below some findings that suggest that the views
ones...” of the high-income fathers may result partly from 35,000-49,999 45.5
lack of awareness of the seriousness of the father-
Whiteabsence problem–something more changeable
29.4

than political ideology. Under 35,000 56.9

Work responsibilities 12

The bottom line40 that60 70
0 10 20 30 is 50 the bases of support Media/popular culture 20 30 408.2 50 60
0 10
for the government programs are complex, and Financial problems 6.9
FIGURE 9. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement FIGURE 10. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement that
Lack of knowledge 5
efforts to increase the support need to take that
that More Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Race More Government SupportMother
Childʼs of Fathers Is Needed, by Household Income
4.6
complexity into account. Lack of parenting resources 3.7

People at work 3.2

agreed” and those who “strongly agreed” that there
Courts 3

is such a crisis. As stated above, only 62 percent
Relatives 2.9

BELIEF IN A FATHER- School/childcare facilities
selected the “strongly agree” 2.5
Childʼs friendsʼ mothers
response alternative, so
2.4
there is considerable variation in the responses.
ABSENCE CRISIS Male friends 2.2

Step-child/children 1.6
We again conducted a multivariate analysis to
Although reported belief in a father-absence Woman, not childʼs mother 1.1
detect patterns of variation, and we discovered that
crisis in this country was quite high among
when other explanatory variables4were statistically
0 2 6 8 10 12
the respondents to the survey, support for
held constant, the responses varied considerably by
government and private programs to promote FIGURE 15. Mean Obstacles to Good Fathering
religiosity and somewhat less byAll Fathers household
Index, by Source,
age and
responsible fatherhood is likely to differ
income.
considerably between those who “somewhat
Work responsibilities 12 Childʼs mother 12.2

Media/popular culture 8.2 Work responsibilities 10.7

Financial problems Financial problems 9.7
6.9
Not married to
Lack of knowledge 5 Courts 8.9
12 Childʼs Mother 4.6
Fathering Attitudes Survey © 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative
Media/popular culture 7.8
www.fatherhood.org
Lack of parenting resources 3.7 Childʼs friendsʼ mothers 5.6

Lack of knowledge 5.3

Not at all religious 37.1 50 and older
3.2

3.4 Not very religious 43.5 40-49

Moderately religious 55.2 30-39 57
3.1

That the more religious respondents were more likely to
Very religious 18-29 41.8
perceive a 2.5 more
100,000father-absence 15.2 than the less religious ones
and crisis Not at all religious
76
42.6

(Figure 11) is expected and thus not particularly interesting.
0 10 20 30 40 50
0 0.5 1 1.5 are interesting, however, 25 the differences between the 40 50 60 70 80
What 2 2.5 3 3.5
75,000-99,999
are 0 10 20 30
“strongly agree” responses in Figure 11 and those in Figure Not very religious 56.5

FIGURE 5. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” FIGURE 6. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Response
laceability of Fathers Index, by with government help and support. Seventy-
8, which deals Religiosity about Importance of Marriage to Fatherhood, by Res
50,000-74,999 Responses to Statement about Importance of
two percent of the “very religious”33.1 fathers “strongly agreed”
Martiage to Fatherhood, by Religiosity Moderately religious 59.4
that there was a father-absence crisis, but only 27 percent of
those highly religious respondents “strongly agreed” that the
35,000-49,999 45.5

government should give more help and support to fathers.
In contrast, among the respondents who said 56.9 they were
that Very religious 75.5

Under 35,000
“not at all religious,” the “strongly agree” responses are slightly
higher for the government support question than for the 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
father-absence crisis question.
FIGURE 11. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to
FIGURE 10. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement that Statement that there is a Father-Absence Crisis, by Religiosity
These differences reflect what researchers call a statistical
More Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Household Income
interaction, which exists when the magnitude (and sometimes
the direction) of an association between two variables depends
on the value of a third variable. This interaction is graphically
shown in Figure 12, which shows the association between Not at all religious 0.366

the responses to the father-absence42.6 question and those
crisis
to the government support question at each of four levels of
religiosity. The statistic used is gamma, which is a measure of Not very religious 0.208

the association between the two variables. The value for the
“very religious” is near zero and is not statistically significant
(that is, the small indicated association could easily have
resulted from chance), while the other gammas are statistically
significant, and the one for “not at all religious” indicates a
Very religious 0.064
positive association of moderate magnitude.
Childʼs mother 12.2
Very religious 75.5
Work responsibilities 10.7
These findings indicate that9.7 whereas a large percentage of 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 Did not live with child
0.4
Financial problems
highly religious fathers believe that there is a father-absence to childʼs mother
Courts 8.9
Not married 84.6
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Media/popular culture them do not believe that government programs
crisis, many of 7.8
FIGURE 12. Association (Gamma) of Responses to Father-Absence Crisis
Childʼs friendsʼ FIGURE 11. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to to
are an appropriate solution to that crisis. Contrary
mothers 5.6 Question with Responses to Government-Support Question, by Religiosity
Lack of Statement that there5.3 a Father-Absence Crisis, of the government
knowledge is
common belief, the strongest supporters by Religiosity
Lack of parenting resources 5.1
The data on the relationship of belief in a father-absence
programs seem to be4.9 relatively secular persons, and they
Woman, not childʼs mother
probably are predominantly moderate conservatives, centrists, crisis to the age of the fathers (Figure 13) is similar to those
Relatives 3.7
Married to childʼs mother in Figure 6 on the importance of marriage toLived with child
reported 51.3
School/childcare facilities liberals rather than extreme conservatives.
and moderate 3.6

Of course,work findings from this survey provide no direct
People at the 3.5 responsible fatherhood. That is, the youngest respondents
Step-child/children 3.2
evidence on the general political and ideological positions differ from everyone else. Again, the meaning of the finding
Male friends 2.4
is unclear. These young fathers might change as they grow
of the fathers with the different views on fatherhood and on
0 20 40 60 80 100
government programs to support responsible fatherhood–a
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 older, or they might not. If they do not, their views reflect
topic that deserves further investigation. FIGURE 17. Mean Summary Obstacles trend–and oneby supporters of responsible Mean Sum
an emerging to Fathering Index, that FIGURE 18.
FIGURE 16. Mean Obstacles to Good Fathering Index, by Whether or Not Respondent was Married to Motherdisturbing.
fatherhood will find of Focal Child Whether or Not R
Source, Fathers Not Married to Focal Childʼs Mother

© 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org Fathering Attitudes Survey 13
No stepchildren
ed to childʼs mother 84.6 Did not live with child 93.2

62.6

Not married to childʼs mother 30.1

59.3

As we show above, the higher-income
57.6 respondents to our survey were not very 50 and older 67

Not at all religious favorably inclined toward government programs
0.366

Married to childʼs one possible reason being that
to help fathers, mother 64.8

41.8
the economic conservatism that is prevalent 40-49 62.5
Very religious 27
Not very religious among higher-income persons makes them
0.208

40 50 60 70 unsupportive of government social50 60 70
0 10 20 30 40
programs
of all kinds. However, the data in Figure 14 30-39 0 10 20 30 40 50
63.4
e” Responses to Statement religious FIGURE 7. “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement about
Moderately
“...those
0.134
hood, by Respondentʼs Age suggest another reason, namely, that higher- FIGURE 8. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement
Importance of Marriage to Fatherhood, by Whether or Not
income fathers are less Mother of Focal Child that More Government Support of Fathers Is Needed, by Religiosity
Respondent Was Married to inclined to consider
respondents father-absence to be a major problem. One might 18-29 48.4

Very religious 0.064
who had speculate that higher-income fathers tend to be
isolated from the segments of the population in 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70
nonresident which 0.1
0 fatherlessness0.3 more prevalent, but in
0.2 is 0.4
FIGURE 13. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement
fathers our sample there was virtually no relationship
FIGURE 12. Association (Gamma) of Responses to Father-Absence Crisis that There is a Father-Absence Crisis, by Respondentʼs Age
between household income and whether or not
generally
Question with Responses to Government-Support Question, by Religiosity
the fathers lived with the focal child. Of course,
did not the kind of fatherlessness in which the father
does not acknowledge paternity, and the kind in
regard those which the father provides little or no financial 100,000 and more 49.7
50 and older
fathers very
67
support to the child, may be more prevalent
at the lower income levels, and the negative 75,000-99,999
positively.”
58.9

consequences of fatherlessness are more obvious
40-49 62.5

and conspicuous among the poor. 50,000-74,999 61.1

30-39 63.4

OTHER ATTITUDES AND 35,000-49,999 68.7

PERCEPTIONS
18-29 48.4 35,000 71.5

We forgo detailed discussion of the variation in
100,000 and more
the responses to the40 50 attitudinal questions,
other 60 70 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 3
0 10 20 30
but the responses of all of the fathers to some FIGURE 14. Percentage of “Strongly Agree” Responses to Statement
75,000-99,999
FIGURE 13. Percentage of “Strongly Agree”No stepchildren
Responses to Statement 55.3
d 93.2 of the questions are instructive. For instance,
that There is a Father-Absence Crisis, by Respondentʼs Age that There is a Father-Absence Crisis, by Household Income
y the fact that only 54 percent of the fathers 50,000-74,999
agreed, and only 22 percent “strongly agreed,” major segments of the population, though they
that “When you first became a father, you felt are apparently somewhat more prevalent among 35,000-49,999
adequately prepared for fatherhood,” indicates the poor and those with relatively little formal
a need for pre-fatherhood parental education. Under 35,000
One or more stepchildren 82.9 education.
d 54.2
Similarly, the fact that only 78 percent agreed,
and only 34 percent “strongly agreed,” that they About three-fourths of the respondents agreed that 0 20
now have the necessary skills and knowledge to they had involved, responsible fathers while they Age 40 an
be good fathers indicates that parental education 80 were growing up, and 52 percent “strongly agreed.” Ages 18-3
0 20 40 60 100
0 20 40 60 80 100 However, of those who were not living with their
is needed for many of those who are already
FIGURE 19. Meanto be prevalent inFathering Index, by
fathers. These needs seem Summary Obstacles to all biological or adoptive fathers at age 16, only 32 20. Mean Summa
FIGURE
Summary Obstacles to Fathering Index, by
Whether or Not Respondent Had a Stepchild or Stepchildren by Age of Responde
ot Respondent Lived with Focal Child
49.1
100,000 and more 35.8

55.3
14 Fathering Attitudes Survey 54.6
75,000-99,999
© 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org
51.8

59.5

percent agreed with the responsible father statement and only
14 percent strongly agreed. On a related topic, about three-
fourths of the fathers who responded to the relevant question
agreed that they were better fathers than their own fathers
were, and 35 percent “strongly agreed.” However this question
was apparently difficult for some of the fathers to answer,
because an unusually large number (four percent) either said
that they weren’t sure or refused to answer the question. Of
those who did not live with their fathers at age 16 and who
responded to the question, 94 percent agreed and 68 percent
“strongly agreed” that they were better fathers than their own
fathers were. Clearly, those respondents who had nonresident
fathers generally did not regard those fathers very positively.

© 2006 National Fatherhood Initiative www.fatherhood.org Fathering Attitudes Survey 15

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