Focus CEO Hails MTV Poll That Finds Families Matter

December 18, 2007

Colorado Springs, Colo. – Focus on the Family President and CEO Jim Daly pointed today to the findings of a new Associated-Press/MTV poll of young people as evidence that the coarseness of American culture hasn’t eroded away the simple truth that families matter to children and young adults.

The survey, which made headlines across the country, found that the No. 1 thing young people 13-24 desire to make them happy is more time with their families.

“These findings quantify in numbers what we have long known in our hearts and seen in our own experience: a nurturing family environment is the most important thing we can offer our kids,” Daly explained. “Money, cars, fame, friends, ‘good times’ – none of those things matter as much to them as knowing they are loved and protected at home.”

The study also found that sex outside of marriage is hardly the source of adolescent or young-adult happiness television and the movies makes it out to be. Among 13- to 17-year-olds, being sexually active actually leads to less happiness, according to the poll.

“This may come as news to many in a culture that sells sex as voraciously as ours, but it is no surprise to us at Focus on the Family,” Daly said. “We’ve studied the scientific literature, we’ve heard from the young people who regret having sex outside of marriage, and we know the devastating effect it has on them – not just physically but emotionally.”

Daly also said he wasn’t surprised that 92 percent of respondents said they definitely or probably want to get married – and most of them want to have children of their own, too.

“What we’re seeing expressed here is a longing for the stability that comes from an intact family,” he noted. “Youth not only crave it from the family they were born into, but they want to sustain it by having families of their own.

“These are powerful and insightful findings – and we hope that entities like MTV, which reach millions of young people, will take this study seriously and begin to offer the kind of programming and resources to their audience that feed the desires of their hearts.”

For more information, contact Gary Schneeberger at (719) 548-5853 or press@family.org, or Sonja Swiatkiewicz at (719) 548-4570 or culturalissues@family.org.