New Nickelodeon Research Study Finds Generation Gap Closing, Reflecting Changing Attitudes and Values; Families Now Connected By Tech, Tastes and Entertainment

New Nickelodeon Research Study Finds Generation Gap Closing, Reflecting
Changing Attitudes and Values; Families Now Connected By Tech, Tastes and
Entertainment
88% of Kids and 82% of Parents Say Inter-racial Marriages Acceptable; Only 44%
of Parents Feel They Should Pay for Daughter's Wedding vs. 74% of
Grandparents; Parents Say Most Important to Raise Sons Who Respect Women;
Daughters Must Be Independent

NEW YORK, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- A new Nickelodeon research study, titled
"The Family GPS," reports that the generation gap is a thing of the past as
today's increasingly multi-generational American families are united by an
expanding set of values and converging tastes. Released today, the Nickelodeon
study finds that new cultural attitudes, technology and the current economic
climate are drawing today's American families closer together and changing how
parents raise, and regard, their children compared to how their parents raised
them. Nickelodeon's "The Family GPS" study was conducted as part of an ongoing
partnership with Harris Interactive in which the companies will study the
changing face and role of the family in the U.S.

"As Millennials become parents and Baby Boomers become grandparents, today's
families are different from what we've seen and come to expect from previous
generations, in that staying together and playing together are the top
priorities among everyone in the household," said Ron Geraci, Senior Vice
President, Nickelodeon Research. "Instead of being divided by tastes and
clashing over values and things like music and entertainment choices, today's
parents, kids and grandparents are being drawn closer together by them, as
well as embracing new value systems of tolerance and acceptance."

Key findings from Nickelodeon's "The Family GPS" study include:

The Generation Gap Ends, and Family Fusion Begins
Today's families are increasingly multi-generational -- kids, parents and
grandparents together in one household or in near proximity -- and are closer
knit, even sharing the same interests and tastes. It is a top priority to
seek and create opportunities to spend more time together, preferably in the
home, which currently serves as the main hub for free time as well as family
life:

-- 83% of parents spend at least some time each week just hanging out and
talking with their kid; and 86% eat dinner together at least once a
week.

-- 51% of parents worry a lot about spending enough time together as a
family, on par with their concern about their own or their family's
health (53%) and paying their bills (51%).

-- 76% of parents of 2-21 year-olds say they feel extremely close to
their
child today, while only 25% of grandparents reported that they felt
close to their own child. Today, 49% of parents have one of their own
parents living within 30 minutes from them; and 10% percent have a
parent living with them in their home.

-- Today's first-time grandparents are an average age of 48 (source:
AARP),
and have a central role in day-to-day family life. 61% of parents of
2-17 year-olds say the grandparents assist with raising the kids
(source: Nickelodeon 2008 Family Study, OTX US data).

-- 56% of sons 8-21 years-old share the same taste in movies as their
fathers, and 48% enjoy listening to the same music. 64% of daughters
8-21 years-old share a similar taste in movies as their mothers, and
44%
share the same sense of fashion and clothing as their moms.

-- Technology serves as a core family member, as parents and kids spend
time together using various media. 82% and 77% of families are
watching
TV or movies together at home, respectively, each week; 41% of parents
and kids are listening to music together; and 36% are playing games
together (source: Nickelodeon 2008 Family Study, OTX US data).

Changing Attitudes
Parents' expectations and the values they instill in their kids are
changing--particularly by gender. Also, kids and parents are becoming more
accepting of differences in their communities, in other people and in
cultures. The younger the generation, the more accepting they are. For
example:

-- Parents of 2-21 year-old boys think the most important value to
instill
in a son is to be is respectful of women (70%). When raising a
daughter, top values include self-sufficiency and an independent
thinking (both 66%).

-- Parents have equal educational expectations for both sons and
daughters,
but it's more important to parents of girls than parents of boys that
their child gets good grades (92% versus 86%).

-- 18% of parents think it's very important that they raise their
daughters
to be good wives; while 40% think it's important to raise their sons
to
be good husbands.

-- 49% of parents say it's very important to raise their daughters to be
good with money, while only 31% emphasize the same for their sons.

-- 88% of kids believe that it's important to learn about different
cultures, and 95% of kids value the importance of respecting other
cultures.

-- 88% of kids and 82% of parents believe that inter-racial marriages are
acceptable, while only 70% grandparents agree with it.

-- 71% of 13-21 year-olds and parents believe it's acceptable for couples
to live together before marriage, compared to 62% of grandparents.

-- 65% of 13-21 year-olds are unopposed to homosexual couples having
kids,
compared to 57% of parents and 52% of grandparents.

Families' New Economic Realities
Almost half of all families' economic situations have worsened over the last
year. Parents have opened the discussion about saving money with their
children, and some kids are even helping out with the finances:

-- 85% of kids 13-21 say they have been impacted by the economic crisis,
and 15% of kids 13-21 have witnessed a parent lose his/her job.

-- 51% of parents of 8-21 year-olds are now talking to their kids more
about the importance of saving money.

-- 41% of 13-21 year-olds are now saving more of their own money.

-- 44% of today's parents with daughters feel it's the parents'
responsibility to pay for their child's wedding, while 74% of
grandparents with daughters said it was their responsibility to assume
the costs for their own kids.

-- More than one third (38%) of 13-21 year-olds say they have to buy
certain things with their own money that they didn't have to before.

"The Family GPS" study was fielded between July and August 2009 through online
interviews (by Harris Interactive) with 1,010 U.S. grandparents, 1,880 U.S.
parents with kids 2-21, and more than 2,100 U.S. 8-21 year-olds.

Harris Interactive is a global leader in custom market research. With a long
and rich history in multimodal research that is powered by our science and
technology we assist clients in achieving business results. Harris Interactive
serves clients globally through our North American, European and Asian offices
and a network of independent market research firms. For more information
please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for
kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in
everything it does. The company includes television programming and production
in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online,
recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television
network is seen in almost 100 million households and has been the
number-one-rated basic cable network for 15 consecutive years. For more
information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all
related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA,
VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon

Joanna Roses, +1-212-846-7326, or David Bittler, +1-212-846-5263