APAC attitudes to parenting undergoing profound shift

Just over half of APAC parents say they have questioned their decision to have children and one in three non-parents say they never will have kids, according to a global study. 

‘The Truth About Modern Families’ – a report* from McCann Worldgroup Truth Central – explores key themes related to family structure and examines the complicated identities of parents, the role of technology in family life, new dynamics in family hierarchies and the role of brands.

Why APAC parents matter

Amid cultural shifts in how, when, who and if people want to have children, the very definition of parenting is undergoing profound shifts that the brand community must be aware of and responsive to in order to connect with this coveted cohort.

Takeaways 

• 54% of APAC parents say they’ve questioned their decision to have children, while 65% believe that everyone has a responsibility to have kids.
• More than two-thirds (68%) of APAC non-parents have questioned whether to have children, with one in three having decided not to.
• Participants in Japan (50%), Hong Kong (44%), Singapore (42%) and Thailand (42%) ranked higher than the global average (38%) in saying they don’t plan to have children.
• But the fame/fortune paradox is that 60% of APAC parents want their children to be famous: three out of the five top-ranking countries globally are from Asia – India (81%), China (78%) and Thailand (71%).
• Being famous is seen as a way to move up the socioeconomic ladder, in contrast with the West, where only 25% of US parents hope their children will find fame, down from 41% in 2015.
• APAC is one of the nerve centres of the tech revolution and technology is seen as a net positive in parenting – 74% of Asian parents say technology helps them to get more out of family life.
• This is higher than the global average of 64%, with Indonesia ranking the highest globally at 87%, followed by China at 85%, Thailand at 83% and India at 81%.
• A high number of parents also say that it is easier to keep their children entertained compared to in the past: India, Thailand and Indonesia at 84%, Philippines at 81%, and China at 74%.

Key quote

“Brands have a unique opportunity to be there for parents as they grapple with everything from the tactical to the existential, but first they must understand them” – Laura Simpson, Chief Intelligence Officer and President of Truth Central, McCann Worldgroup. 

*McCann's global study aggregated responses from 55,000 people (parents and non-parents) across 28 markets, including 10 in APAC: China, India, Japan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, Indonesia and South Korea.