New Study Shows World Wide Acceptance of the Traditional Family

By Austin Ruse | 1999

     (NEW YORK – C-FAM) ¨ As the international debate on the family heats up, the influential US polling group Wirthlin Worldwide has released a new study showing that most people in most countries still believe in traditional notions of the family.

     Released in conjunction with the World Congress of Families II, which convenes for four days this Sunday in Geneva, the poll found that 63 percent the world's population believe "the family" is central to an ideal society, and 81 percent believe the definition of marriage is "one man and one woman." This is particularly helpful to pro-family activists because of the ongoing attempts in most western societies and at the United Nation to change the definition of the family to include homosexual couplings. Indeed, the survey found that 74 percent of the world  believe that  "a family created through lawful marriage is the fundamental unit of society."

     ¨ Likewise, the survey revealed that the average person strongly disagree with come contemporary theories that say fathers and marriage aren't important; 79 percent of the respondents agreed that "all things being equal, it is better for children to be raised in a household that has a married mother and father."

     ¨ A majority of people still believe children are vital to the quality of family life. Nearly three quarters of respondents identified "having and raising a child or children" as "extremely important." Sixty percent of respondents believe that having and raising children is important to "having a strong marriage."

     ¨ Perhaps surprising to population control proponents, a majority of people in the world believe that "families with multiple children help improve society." Surprisingly, women from developed countries, who generally have the lowest fertility rates in the world, were the most enthusiastic about large families. Seventy percent of Americans and 67 percent of Europeans said they thought that "families with multiple children" are beneficial to society, while in Latin America, 68 percent said they thought "families with multiple children add to the problems of society." This number could be the result of years of population control programs aimed at Latin America.

     ¨ Respondents the world over also recognized that family life is not as good as it once was. Compared to 30 years ago, 45 percent of non-US respondents believed family life is weaker now. Only 28 percent of Europeans and 25 percent of the Middle East and Africa believe family life is stronger today than 30 years ago.

     ¨ The Wirthlin study was conducted among 2,893 adults, 18 years and over, in 19 countries.

     ¨ More than 1,000 pro-family leaders are expected for the World Congress in Geneva. Expected to participate are senior governmental ministers from Argentina, Nicaragua, and the Philippines. Parliamentarians are expected from France, Germany, the United States and others. Four days of panels will include presentations from Cardinal Alfonso Trujillo of the Vatican's Pontifical Council on the Family, and Nicholas Eberstadt of Harvard.

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