Survey: RI Caregivers Care About Earned, Paid Sick Leave

     

2017 AARP Rhode Island Caregiving Survey
Overwhelming Support for Earned, Paid Sick Leave

 

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Most current family caregivers in Rhode Island (66%) have been employed either full- or part-time while providing care to a spouse, parent, or other loved one.  In fact, most Rhode Island registered voters 45-plus (58%) in our survey are currently or have previously provided care to an adult loved one; and six in ten believe they will likely be a caregiver in the future.  Current caregivers are likely to be married (60%) and have at least a two-year college degree (66%).  Seventeen percent also have a child or children 18 or under living with them.  

Infographic: Earned, Paid Sick Leave By the Numbers

The vast majority of registered voters in Rhode Island 45-plus support (strongly or somewhat) a proposal to help working family caregivers care for their loved ones and continue to work. 

Over eight in ten support a requirement that employers provide a minimum level of earned, paid leave to all employees that can be used for family caregiving purposes.

Well over the majority of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents also support this requirement.

Over three in four caregivers age 45-plus in Rhode Island, who are currently providing care or who have provided care in the past to a loved one, and who are also registered to vote, say they have had to make at least one modifcation to their work life to provide care to their loved ones.

Seventy-seven percent have taken at least one of the actions in the chart below.  The most common action, taken by nearly seven in ten, is to adjust their work schedule by going into work early or late, or take time off to provide care. One in four needed to take a leave of absence, and over one in five gave up working entirely. Finally, one in five went from working full-time to part-time to provide care to their loved ones.

Read AARP RI's March 30, 2017 House testimony supporting Earned, Paid Sick Leave

Two in three working family caregivers also say that they feel stressed in trying to balance their job and their family (66%).

Of those working caregivers who needed to adjust their work schedule by going into work early or late or take time off to provide care, one in three did so at least once a week (33%), and nearly half did so at least once per month (47%).

Methodology

AARP Rhode Island commissioned a telephone survey among 1,000 registered voters age 45-plus in Rhode Island conducted by Precision Opinion to learn about their experiences with family caregiving.  The statewide sample utilized an age-targeted registered voter landline and cell phone list.  This report highlights results from residents interviewed from March 11th to March 21st, 2017.  The data is weighted by age and gender to reflect registered voters in Rhode Island age 45-plus.  The survey has a margin of sampling error of ±3.1 percent.  Percentages reported are rounded.  The survey annotation will be made available at www.aarp.org/research.

 AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age.  With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability, and personal fulfillment.  AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name.  As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world’s largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

AARP staff from the Rhode Island State Office, Campaigns, State Advocacy and Strategy Integration (SASI), and AARP Research contributed to the design, implementation, and reporting of this study.  Special thanks go to AARP staff including Kathleen Connell, John DiTomasso, John Martin, and Darlene Reza Rossi – AARP Rhode Island State Office; Chryste Hall, Steven Griffin, William F. Brown III, and Priscilla Hume – Campaigns; Enzo Pastore – SASI; and Brittne Nelson, Katherine Bridges, and Cheryl Barnes – AARP Research.  Please contact Terri Guengerich at 202-434-6306 for more information regarding this survey.  

For more information about this survey, please contact Terri Guengerich at: 202.434.6306 or e-mail tguengerich@aarp.org