Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Population Health Research Brief Series

Younger Grandparents Provide Less Support to their Grandchildren Now than in the Past, but Support among Older Grandparents Has Remained Stable

Hyeonji Cho

March 2025

Lerner Center Population Health Research Brief Series

Abstract

Grandparents in the U.S. provide extensive support to their children and grandchildren, in the form of both financial assistance and childcare. But recent demographic changes (e.g., later childbirth, population aging) have postponed and extended the duration of grandparenthood, raising questions about whether these changes affect how grandparents support their grandchildren. This data slice uses data from the 2002-2022 Health and Retirement Study to examine the changes in grandparent support to grandchildren by age group in the U.S. The author finds that while younger grandparents are providing less support now than in the past, support has remained steady or even increased some among older grandparents.

Download Brief