Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Fathers present in the household of about seven in 10 kids
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- Figure 1: Who children live with, by father’s status/number of parents, 2011
- Working status of dads: “mancession” a myth? Not for dads
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- Figure 2: Unemployment and underemployment status of men with children younger than 18, 2007-10
- Dads spend most time working, but kids also receive significant time
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- Figure 3: How parents spend a typical weekday, by gender, December 2011
- Dads value healthy and educational activities
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- Figure 4: Changes in time dads spend on healthy and educational activities, December 2011
- Dads aspire to engagement in all aspects of parenting
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- Figure 5: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities according to dads, December 2011
- Dads less attuned to deals than moms, but savings still important
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- Figure 6: Changes in time dads spend on shopping-related activities, December 2011
- Dads more involved in home cooking
- Younger dads especially interested in organic and local
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- Figure 7: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, December 2011
- Like moms, dads rely on a variety of sources, primarily offline
- Younger dads particularly active information seekers
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- Figure 8: Dads’ information sources for parenting, December 2011
- Dads more involved in sports and clubs, increasingly involved at school
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- Figure 9: Parents' behaviors relating to participation in kids’ activities, by gender, December 2011
- Less pressure to “do it all” but greater desire to participate in kids’ lives
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- Figure 10: Parenting pressures according to dads, December 2011
- Simple gifts and expressions most desired Father’s Day gifts
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- Figure 11: Ideal Father’s Day gift, December 2011
- What we think
Insights and Opportunities
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- Breaking down dividing lines in parent marketing
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- Figure 12: Sainsbury’s “Dad & Son” TV ad, 2011
Inspire Insights
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- Trend: Men Shopping Badly
- Trend: Play Ethic
Dads and their Families
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- Key points
- Male population
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- Figure 13: U.S. male population, by age, 2006-16
- Recession slowed increase in new dads
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- Figure 14: U.S. children aged 5 and younger, 2006-16
- Number of households with kids continues to decline
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- Figure 15: U.S. Households, by presence of children younger than 18, 2000-11
- Seven in 10 kids live with two parents
- Older kids less likely to live with two parents
- Single dads far outnumbered by single moms
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- Figure 16: Who children live with, by child’s age, 2011
- Single dads more likely than single moms to be divorced
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- Figure 17: Marital status of single-parent family groups with children younger than 18, by gender, 2011
- More young families rely on grandparents for support
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- Figure 18: U.S. children living in grandparents' home by presence of parent(s), 2000-11
- Today’s dads spend more time with kids, but fewer fathers in the home
Working Status of Dads
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- Key points
- “Mancession” a myth? Not for dads
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- Figure 19: Employment status of men and women with children younger than 18, 2007-10
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- Figure 20: Employment status of men and women with children younger than six, 2007-10
- Stay-at-home dads
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- Figure 21: Married-couple family groups with children younger than 15 and one working/one stay-at-home* parent, 2004-10
- Single-dad families at a financial disadvantage to married couples
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- Figure 22: Incomes of households with children, by household type, 2010
- Increase in work/family conflict among men
A Dad’s Life: Time Use for a Typical Weekday
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- Key points
- Dads spend most time working, but kids also receive significant time
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- Figure 23: How parents spend a typical weekday, by gender, December 2011
- Younger dads spend more time than older dads caring for kids
- Younger dads work more hours too
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- Figure 24: How dads spend a typical weekday, by age, December 2011
- Dads of older kids devote less time to kid care, but feel more pressure
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- Figure 25: How dads spend a typical weekday, by age of children in household, December 2011
How Dads Would Spend the Ideal Weekday
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- Key points
- Less time at work, more time with partner, friends, and family
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- Figure 26: How dads spend a typical weekday, an ideal weekday, and difference, December 2011
- Younger dads would work less on an ideal day
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- Figure 27: Difference between how dads spend a typical weekday and an ideal weekday, by age, December 2011
How Dads Would Spend an Extra Hour in the Day
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- Key points
- Family and spouse come first for dads
- Extra work not a priority
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- Figure 28: How parents would spend an extra hour of the day, by gender, December 2011
- Older dads more likely to want extra time for spouse and for kid care
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- Figure 29: How dads would spend an extra hour of the day, by age, December 2011
Dads and Childcare
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- Key points
- More than one in five dads report serving as primary caregiver
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- Figure 30: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays, according to parents, by gender, December 2011
- Both mom and dad claim to care for kids on weekend
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- Figure 31: Children’s primary caretaker on weekends, according to parents, by gender, December 2011
Changes in Time Spent on Family Activities
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- Key points
- Both moms and dads value healthy and educational activities
- An opportunity to engage dads in kid fitness and outdoor fun
- Educational engagement also an opportunity
- Dads more likely to play video games and take kids to the movies
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- Figure 32: Changes in time parents spend on family entertainment and activities, by gender, December 2011
- Dads with young kids more engaged healthy and educational activities
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- Figure 33: Changes in time dads spend on family entertainment and activities, by age of children in household, December 2011
Dads’ Online Activities
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- Key points
- Dads a little less likely than moms to engage in social media
- Dads more kid-fun focused online and off
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- Figure 34: Parents’ changes in time spent on social networking sites, by gender, December 2011
- Younger dads more likely to be engaged in social media
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- Figure 35: Dads’ changes in time spent on social networking sites, by age, December 2011
- Online shopping a little less frequent for dads
- Blogging participation on a par with moms
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- Figure 36: Parents’ online activities in the last 30 days, by gender, April 2010-June 2011
Dads’ Perspectives on Sharing Family Responsibilities
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- Key points
- A wide gender gap in perceived parenting participation
- Focusing on the aspiration to be an involved dad
- Striking the right balance
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- Figure 37: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, Part I, by gender, December 2011
- Figure 38: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, Part II, by gender, December 2011
- Young dads modestly more likely to claim shared or sole responsibility
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- Figure 39: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, age, December 2011
- Figure 40: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part II, by age, December 2011
Changes in Time Spent on Shopping Activities
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- Key points
- Dads less attuned to deals than moms, but savings is important
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- Figure 41: Changes in time parents spend on shopping-related activities, by gender, December 2011
- Younger dads more focused on budget shopping
- Social shoppers
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- Figure 42: Changes in time dads spend on shopping-related activities, by age, December 2011
How Parenthood Changes Purchasing Habits
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- Overview: parenthood motives new concerns, shopping trade-offs
- Durability and value
- Product safety
- Sharper focus on nutrition
- Still, dads may be a little more impulsive
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- Figure 43: Changes in purchasing habits since becoming a parent/kids getting older, by gender and age of oldest child, December 2011
Marketing Strategies
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- Overview: Work in progress
- Tide and the stay-at-home dad
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- Figure 44: Tide laundry detergent “Stay at Home Dad” TV ad, 2011
- Clorox tests
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- Figure 45: Clorox bleach “Time to go Teddy” TV ad, 2011
- Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes makes dads the target
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- Figure 46: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes “Share What You Love” TV ad, 2011
- Sports media tie-in
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- Figure 47: Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes “Pregame Moments” TV ad, 2011
- Ongoing support of kids’ sports
- Huggies “Dad Test”
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- Figure 48: Huggies “Ultimate Test–Ball Game” TV ad, 2012
- Ragu had run into a similar issue
- Car ads go from guy to dad
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- Figure 49: Volkswagen Jetta “Is It Fast?” TV ad, 2012
- Go-Gurt goes for “dads who get it”
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- Figure 50: Gogurt Yogurt “Moms Who Get It” TV ad, 2011
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- Figure 51: Gogurt Yogurt “Dads Who Get It” TV ad, 2011
Changes in Time Spent on Meals and Nutrition
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- Key points
- Dads more involved in home cooking
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- Figure 52: Changes in time parents spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by gender, December 2011
- Younger dads especially interested in organic and local
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- Figure 53: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by age, December 2011
Sources of Parenting Information
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- Key points
- Like moms, dads rely on a variety of sources
- Offline sources more likely to be cited than online
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- Figure 54: Parents’ information sources for parenting, by age, December 2011
- Younger dads cite a wider variety of information sources
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- Figure 55: Dads’ information sources for parenting, by age, December 2011
Family Time/Involvement/Technology
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- Key points
- Dads less involved at school, more involved in sports and clubs
- Education opportunity
- Sports a pathway for connecting with dads
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- Figure 56: Parents' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by gender, December 2011
- Higher-income dads more involved in kids’ activities and school
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- Figure 57: Dads' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by household income, December 2011
- Participation in kids’ activities rises sharply in elementary school
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- Figure 58: Dads' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by age of children in household, December 2011
Parenting Concerns
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- Key points
- Moms and dads share long list of concerns
- Helping dads help families cut through the stress
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- Figure 59: Parenting concerns, by gender, December 2011
- Concerns greatest among lower-income dads
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- Figure 60: Dads’ parenting concerns, by household income, December 2011
Parenting Pressures
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- Key points
- More concerns, more pressure for today’s parents
- Dads more likely to desire greater involvement in their kids’ lives
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- Figure 61: Parenting pressures, by gender, December 2011
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- Figure 62: Parenting pressures according to dads, by age, December 2011
Changes in Financial/Emotional/Lifestyle Dynamics
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- Key points
- Moms and dads feel more financial stress with parenthood
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- Figure 63: Changes in parents’ perceptions of financial stress and security since becoming a parent/kids growing older, by gender and by age of oldest child, December 2011
- Both moms and dads feel a big increase in responsibility
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- Figure 64: Changes in parents’ perceptions of responsibility, free time, and control since becoming a parent/kids growing older, by gender and by age of oldest child, December 2011
- Dads less pessimistic about how parenthood impacts appearance
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- Figure 65: Changes in parents’ perceptions of relationships, health, and appearance since becoming a parent/kids growing older, by gender and by age of oldest child, December 2011
- A somewhat less emotional response from dads
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- Figure 66: Changes in Parents’ perceptions of emotional wellbeing since becoming a parent/kids growing older, by gender and by age of oldest child, December 2011
Dads’ Values/Qualities/Behavior Priorities for Their Kids
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- Key points
- Less consensus among dads on most important values and behaviors
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- Figure 67: Parents’ values/behavior priorities for their kids, by gender, December 2011
- Like moms, younger dads more focused on communication
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- Figure 68: Dads’ values/behavior priorities for their kids, by age, December 2011
- Dads a little more interested than moms in athletic ability and popularity
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- Figure 69: Parents’ qualities priorities for their kids, by gender, December 2011
- Higher-income dads more likely to value well-roundedness
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- Figure 70: Dads’ qualities priorities for their kids, by household income, December 2011
Ideal Father’s Day Gift
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- Key points
- Father’s Day spending on the rise, but still trails mom by a wide margin
- Simple gifts and expressions most desired, guy stuff appreciated too
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- Figure 71: Ideal Father’s Day/Mother’s Day gift, by gender, December 2011
- Older dads more narrowly focused on family
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- Figure 72: Ideal Father’s Day gift, by age, December 2011
Custom Consumer Groups
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- Employment status
- Nonworking dads only modestly more likely to handle some family tasks
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- Figure 73: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, by employment status, December 2011
- Nonworking dads far more likely to serve as kids’ caretakers
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- Figure 74: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays, according to dads, by employment status, December 2011
- Nonworking dads less likely to buy local and organic
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- Figure 75: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by employment status, December 2011
- Marital status and living arrangement
- Solo dads spend only a little more time taking care of kids
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- Figure 76: How Dads spend a typical weekday, by marital status and living arrangement, December 2011
- Solo dads highly likely to handle parenting tasks themselves
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- Figure 77: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, by marital status, December 2011
- Dads with partners or spouses more involved in kids’ activities
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- Figure 78: Dads' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by marital status, December 2011
Appendix: Other Useful Tables
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- Time use for a typical weekday
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- Figure 79: How dads spend a typical weekday, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 80: How dads spend a typical weekday, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Time difference between typical and ideal weekday
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- Figure 81: Difference between how dads spend a typical weekday and an ideal weekday, by household income, December 2011
- Changes in time spent on family activities
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- Figure 82: Changes in time dads spend on family entertainment and activities, by age, December 2011
- Figure 83: Changes in time dads spend on family entertainment and activities, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 84: Changes in time dads spend on family entertainment and activities, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Dads’ online activities
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- Figure 85: Dads’ changes in time spent on social media sites, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 86: Dads’ changes in time spent on social media sites, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Dads’ perspective on sharing family responsibilities
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- Figure 87: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 88: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part II, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 89: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, by number of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 90: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part II, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 91: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part I, by age of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 92: Who handles parenting and household responsibilities, according to dads, Part II, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Children’s primary caretaker
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- Figure 93: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays according to dads, by age, December 2011
- Figure 94: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays according to dads, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 95: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays according to dads, by number of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 96: Children’s primary caretaker on weekdays according to dads, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Changes in time spent on shopping-related activities
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- Figure 97: Changes in time dads spend on shopping-related activities, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 98: Changes in time dads spend on shopping-related activities, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 99: Changes in time dads spend on shopping-related activities, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Changes in time spent on activities related to meals and nutrition
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- Figure 100: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 101: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 102: Changes in time dads spend on activities related to meals and nutrition, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Sources of parenting information
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- Figure 103: Dads’ information sources for parenting, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 104: Dads’ information sources for parenting, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 105: Dads’ information sources for parenting, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Family time/involvement/technology
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- Figure 106: Dads' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by age, December 2011
- Figure 107: Dads' behaviors relating to family time, involvement, and technology, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Parenting concerns
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- Figure 108: Dads’ parenting concerns, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 109: Dads’ parenting concerns, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Parenting pressures
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- Figure 110: Parenting pressures according to dads, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 111: Parenting pressures according to dads, by number of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 112: Parenting pressures according to dads, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Values/behaviors/qualities priorities for kids
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- Figure 113: Dads’ values/behavior priorities for their kids, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 114: Dads’ values/behavior priorities for their kids, by number of children in household, December 2011
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- Figure 115: Dads’ values/behavior priorities for their kids, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 116: Dads’ qualities priorities for their kids, by age, December 2011
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- Figure 117: Dads’ qualities priorities for their kids, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Figure 118: Dads’ qualities priorities for their kids, by age of children in household, December 2011
- Ideal Father’s Day gift
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- Figure 119: Ideal Father’s Day gift, by household income, December 2011
- Figure 120: Ideal Father’s Day gift, by age, December 2011
- Figure 121: Ideal Father’s Day gift, by age of children in household, December 2011
Appendix: Trade Associations
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