The survey concluded that parents tend to favour their youngest child over the elder.
Only 30% say they prefer the eldest. This pattern is similar to parents with three or more children who favour one above the others. Many (43%) prefer the youngest, a third (34%) a middle child and fewer (19%) the eldest. Having a favourite is controversial.
Forty-three percent of parents with three or more children prefer their last-born, with a third selecting a middle child and just 19% leaning towards their eldest.
According to a study published by the Journal of Marriage and Family, 75 per cent of mothers report feeling closer to the eldest child, her first born.
The youngest was less of a handful than their more "tricky and demanding" siblings. The survey backs up the results of a study published by researchers at Brigham Young University's School of Family Life which also found the youngest child is the favourite for most families.
If your youngest is the funniest sibling, you're not alone
Research may have just proved you right—a new survey of siblings and family members revealed that the funniest siblings are typically the youngest ones.
Overall, 38 percent of Americans who are the youngest in their family report they were the favorite, compared to 27 percent of those who were oldest. Middle children are the least likely to say they were a favorite child; only 20 percent believe they were.
Around the world, parents have typically preferred to have sons more than daughters, and American parents have been no different. But there are signs that's changing. It may be because there's less bias against girls, and possibly more bias against boys.
First-born kids tend to be leaders, like CEOS and founders, and are more likely to achieve traditional success. Middle-born children often embody a mix of the traits of older and younger siblings, and they're very relationship-focused.
A recent study has found that it's not the youngest child that's liked the most. It's actually the eldest! While eldest children around the world have had to be the example for their younger siblings and parents being extra strict on them, it looks like there was a good reason.
For generations, children have argued over who is mum and dad's golden child and the study has revealed it's the youngest. For half of parents who confessed to having a favourite said it was their last born.
Who Loves kids the Most: Dads or Moms? Though there is no clear answer, research has found that, in general, fathers tend to be more loving towards their children than mothers. In one study, fathers were found to be more responsive to their children's needs, both emotionally and physically.
Mothers are more critical of their daughters than their sons, and admit to having a having stronger bond with their little boys, according to research.
Kluger confirms earlier research that shows first-borns and "singletons" do, indeed reign supreme. Both groups are smarter and more economically and emotionally successful than the middle child or the baby. But he also debunks some long held myths. For starters, all parents have favorites.
The Best And Hardest Ages
Forty percent of survey participants felt that five was the most fun age. This was thought to be down to improved communication skills and the development of a good sense of humour. The survey also found that parents had the least fun with the 10 to 12 year old children.
According to Adler, the first born is more susceptible to depression because of high expectations of parents and suddenly losing the attention due to another sibling being born.
Researchers have found a correlation between risk-taking and being the last-born sibling. We may get rubbish hand-me-downs, but youngest children from average working families are more likely to become self-made successes, according to this study.
So while your parents may love and care for all their children equally, firstborns tend to get the most mental stimulation, since they receive the undivided attention of both parents and all that first-time anxiety.
Gallup has been polling Americans about their baby gender preferences since 1941, and the results are consistent — there's always a slight preference for sons over daughters. About 40% of parents, across the decades, have told researchers that if they could only have one child, they would want a boy.
Statistically speaking, daughters win the day, but sons win dad by a nose. These findings are somewhat surprising, given the prevailing theory that preference for sons or daughters is based less on the sex of the parents than on their socioeconomic status.
Dads may not realize it, but they don't treat their sons and daughters the same way, according to a new study. Turns out, fathers are more attentive and responsive to their young daughters' cries compared to their sons and sing more to their little girls while roughhousing with their boys.
Middle children are good at compromise (they have had to learn to be) and usually end up with someone most like them, but can really pair well with anyone. Middle children tend to be more satisfied with marriage in general, but they seem to pair best with spouses who are the youngest in their family.
According to Katrin Schumann, co-author of The Secret Power of Middle Children, a marital happiness survey revealed that middle children are the happiest and most satisfied in relationships. Another study revealed that middle-born children grow up to be great partners.
They might also be less attentive since there are other children in their lives. Therefore, the middle child is often a people-pleaser due to the lack of attention they get compared to older siblings and younger siblings.