National Poll of Bereaved Spouses/Partners

A 2011 National Poll of over 500 bereaved spouses/partners funded by the New York Life Foundation in partnership with multiple NAGC member agencies provides new insights into the impact the death of a spouse/partner has on a family. 

Financial Impact on the Family

• Nearly six of 10 (58%) agree that losing a spouse has significantly impacted their standard of living.
• 49% said they were not prepared for the financial impact of the spouse’s death.
• Two thirds said they find it harder to put money away.
• 63% found it harder to save money for their children’s education.
• 48% found it harder to get affordable health care.
• Nearly six of 10 had a more difficult time “finding some money to spend on myself.”

Parent Perspective about the Impact on Their Children

• Nearly 6 of 10 say it is hard to know what their child needs from them.
• Three quarters of parents said that there are not enough resources to help their grieving children or themselves.
• 43% worry daily about how their children are coping.
• Two thirds said their kids worry at least sometimes about their surviving parent going through life alone.
• Nearly four in 10 said they think that their child worries frequently about them getting sick or dying.
• Four in 10 parents said their child’s school was not well prepared to help their children deal with their loss.
• 56% said that most adults don’t know how to talk to them or their kids when they encounter them in public.
• Three quarters of parents said that support of friends/family has a “major impact” on the ability of grieving kids to cope.

Personal impact of Grief

• Nearly eight of 10 said they think about their deceased spouse/partner every day.
• 70% indicated they would give up a year of their life for one more day with their departed spouse.
• Six in 10 surveyed said that after the death of their spouse/partner, friends often stopped socializing with them.
• 63% strongly agreed that they felt like they were “different” from the other adults in their community.
• Nearly 90% wished people understood that it’s better to say something and risk upsetting them than to ignore their loss altogether.
• Nine of 10 said their loss was the “worst thing” that ever happened to them.