MICHIGAN — Capita released a May 2024 survey showing Michigan parents report higher rates of debt, housing instability, scheduling volatility, and mental health struggles compared to parents nationwide. The findings emerged from a national survey of 1,800 parents with children under 18, including 200 respondents from Michigan.
Forty-one percent of Michigan parents said they borrowed money, took on debt, or used payday advance products to cover basic needs in the past 12 months, compared to 29% nationally. Forty-two percent reported being forced to take on additional work hours due to financial pressure or employer demands, while the national average was 30%. More than half of Michigan parents—56%—said they felt down, depressed, or hopeless at least once in the past two weeks, exceeding the national rate of 49%.
Over 30% of Michigan parents experienced last-minute changes to their work schedules, such as cancellations, shortening, or extensions with less than 24 hours’ notice in the past month—a level consistent with national data. Additionally, more than 40% delayed seeking healthcare for themselves in the past year, with 22% citing a lack of childcare as the reason. The survey noted, “Parents are missing their own medical and dental appointments because they have nowhere to bring their children and no one to watch them.”
Elliot Haspel, family policy expert and senior fellow at Capita, presented the results during a virtual press briefing on May 27 held in conjunction with the Mackinac Policy Conference. “That means that more than half of Michigan families, in other words, woke up in the last two weeks feeling like things might not get better.” He added, “Kids don’t experience scheduling unpredictability as just a workplace problem, for them it looks like missing a recital or a game, inconsistent bedtimes, or parents arriving home distracted or stressed.”
The survey was conducted by public opinion polling firm YouGov on behalf of Capita, a nonpartisan think tank focused on children and families. It is the second in a quarterly series tracking the wellbeing of U.S. families with children. The Michigan sample has a margin of error of 7%, while the national survey’s margin of error is 3.5%.