Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing

Welfare reform has brought changes in family dynamics and structure. We are conducting the data collection for the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, which addresses nonmarital childbearing, child development, family formation, the impact of welfare reform, and the role of fathers in low-income families across the nation. The study has found that most unwed couples are romantically involved at the time their child is born and anticipate marrying each other. Most also agree that it is better for children if their parents are married, and many feel that they themselves would be better off. Yet, they face obstacles to achieving healthy marriages.

By following a sample of unwed parents and their children, the study is looking at such questions as:

• What are the conditions and capabilities of new unwed parents, especially fathers?
  
• How many of these men hold steady jobs?
  
• How many want to be involved in raising their children?
  
• What is the nature of the relationship between unwed parents?
  
• What factors push new unwed parents together, and what pulls them apart?
  
• What are the long-term consequences for parents, children, and society of new welfare regulations, stronger paternity establishment, and stricter child support enforcement?

To obtain baseline measures, Mathematica interviewed nearly 5,000 sets of parents of newborns in 20 cities between February 1998 and August 2000. We also conducted interviews in homes and child care settings. Mothers were interviewed in the hospital after the birth of their babies; fathers were interviewed either in the hospital or at home. Follow-up interviews with parents were conducted at 12 and 36 months. We are currently administering the 60-month instrument, and the 96-month follow-up will start at the beginning of 2006. We also completed in-home and child care provider observations in conjunction with the 36- and 60-month follow-ups, and plan to continue this collection through future rounds.

An issue brief, from the Building Strong Families (BSF) project, draws on Fragile Families survey data to detail the characteristics and relationship patterns of unwed parents. The findings can help state and local agencies and other groups designing BSF programs gain a better understanding of how to reach their target population with strategies that enhance children's welfare by helping their parents build stronger relationships.

A methodological paper looks at the mixed-mode approach used to improve the survey response rates, focusing on father response rates as a function of level of effort. The paper notes that the most expensive cases differ from the less expensive ones on many measures, but they do not resemble nonrespondents and did little to make the sample more representative.


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