• 98% of teenagers love their parents
• More than one in ten fathers admit to have been unfaithful
• 42% of boys would like to marry someone like their mum
• One in five teens think their parents aren’t happy
Britain’s most cherished social institution, the family, is the subject of fresh scrutiny ahead of a major new Channel 4 documentary series. The new research reveals that while half of families admit to arguing every day, 98% of teenagers say they love their parents. The poll results also show that over a third (35%) of mums and dads spend at least an hour a day shouting and one in five parents (19%) confess to loving the family pet as much as their own children.
Ahead of the launch of a major new observational documentary series, The Family, Channel 4 commissioned a poll which questioned 1000 parents with children under 18 living at home and 500 teenagers. The findings will form the basis of the marketing campaign for the series.
The results offer a fascinating insight into what really goes on behind Britain’s closed doors. 69% of teenagers said their families are the most important people in their lives, with almost half of boys (42%) confessing they would like to marry someone just like their mum. In a surprisingly positive show of adolescent emotion, 98% of teens admit they love their parents but one in five (19%) thought their parents weren’t happy.
In a concerning turn of events, over a third (35%) of British parents said they would log onto their children’s personal social networking pages to check up on them. More than one in ten fathers (13%) said they had been unfaithful to their partners and one in three parents also confessed to having had an unplanned child but 39% of parents think they do a better job of raising children than their parents did.
Over half of mums (60%) claimed they wear the trousers but one in four (35%) dads declared themselves to be the funniest members of their household. Nine of out ten (91%) families still manage to sit down to dinner as a unit and over 80% of parents say I love you on a daily basis but 13% of mums and dads also admitted to having a favourite child.
Launching next month, Channel 4’s The Family is a compelling and distinctive new observational documentary series which is set to lift the lid on British family life in the 21st Century. The eight part documentary series will present a revealing portrait of a modern British family unit, documenting the everyday dilemmas and decisions that are typical of those faced by families up and down the country from teenagers testing the boundaries to simply maintaining a happy married life.
From arguments over bedtimes and curfews to stressful wedding plans and work issues, The Family captures the challenges faced every day by people up and down the country. The fly-on-the-wall series follows the family as they cope with everything that life throws at them, their day-to-day activities and the trials and tribulations involved in getting everyone round the dinner table at the same time. The predicaments they face, the choices they make and challenges of family dynamics and communication they meet will be familiar to millions. The Family TXs on Channel 4 on Wednesday 17th September at 9pm.