A third of Americans can’t name all four of their grandparents. Here’s why it matters

Jan 22, 2019

Family ties don’t always bind. But experts suggest maybe they should.

A new poll found that 34 percent of Americans don’t know about family members further back on their family tree than grandparents, and 21 percent can’t name even one great-grandparent. A third can’t name all four of their grandparents, according to the survey, which was conducted online by market research company OnePoll for Ancestry, a for-profit genealogy company, among 2,000 respondents.

At that same time, 84 percent said knowing one’s heritage is important.

According to the survey, 21 percent don’t know where even one grandparent was born and about 1 in 7 don’t know what any of their grandparents did for a living.

Experts say family history matters. An oft-cited study from Emory University conducted back in 2010 and published in the Journal of Family Life, an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal produced within the university, said adolescents who know their family histories and feel a sense of connection to previous generations of family show greater emotional well-being and a more developed sense of personal identity than those who don’t.

According to the Emory study, “Family stories provide a sense of identity through time, and help children understand who they are in the world.”

Others agree.

“Understanding your family story helps provide meaningful and invaluable connections to our relatives and their lives,” Jennifer Utley, director of research at Ancestry, said of the survey. “The first step to gaining that understanding is to speak with relatives or begin family research. Learning their stories can inspire and impact how we chart our own course.”