Who Cares About Caregiving?: Identity and Caregiving Policy Perspectives

Abstract

Abstract Using original data collected from YouGov panelists in July of 2021, we examine caregiving experiences and attitudes toward caregiving policies, taking into consideration how intersecting identities shape the perspectives of caregivers. We examine the racial, ethnic and gender dimensions of who provides care, and how the pandemic affected caregiving commitments. We find that communities of color, especially women of color, experienced pandemic caregiving pressures differently than their White counterparts. We further consider public opinion on caregiving policies and explore whether and how these attitudes vary between men and women and across racial, ethnic groups and partisan groups. We find that while interesting differences do exist among different populations, and these differences are worth reflection, policies that support caregivers and caregiving recipients are, on balance, very popular.