The survey was sponsored by the Minnesota Public Radio Civic Journalism Initiative, Family and Children's Service of Minneapolis, and the Minnesota Historical society. The findings seem to run counter to popular notions that families are falling apart because of rampant teen drug use, domestic violence and divorce. Terry Steeno, Executive Director of Family and Children's Service in Minneapolis, says, in general, families felt extremely good about their physical, mental, and financial health, just a few of the strength measurements used in the survey. I think the popular opinion is that all families are struggling. I think we all struggle at different times, but in reality what we're finding with this study is that families do work.
Families do meet the needs of their members.
In fact it's a small percentage of people that cannot rely on their families. The survey polled 1000 people through a random statewide telephone survey. Researchers also asked an additional 400 families to complete a 200-question survey seeking more detailed information. The survey did find some differences in family strength based on the family's particular make-up. In the survey, gay and lesbian families without children scored their strength higher than any other group.