The average UK couple now has an extended family that is over 50-strong, research has found. A surprising 10% of people will have over SIXTY members in their extended family only on their side (meaning if the right couple meet up, birthdays, Christmases and funerals could be packed with 120 family members).
The study revealed the average person has around 25 living family members, but only see eight of them regularly during the course of the year.
Incredibly one third of Brits admit they have completely lost touch with many of their relatives, while sadly, one in 20 said they had severed ties because they ‘just don’t like them very much’.
Seven out of ten busy Brits only get together with this extended family at weddings and funerals, while many of us now go for years without meeting up with aunties, uncles, and cousins.
More than half of those polled admitted they were lucky to meet up with extended family more than once a year, and this is most likely to be at Christmas, unless a special event takes place.
This is a big loss, as 50% claim their most important and heartfelt memories come from family events.
Oliver Dickson, a spokesman for family-owned Grant’s Whisky, which conducted the research as part of their Family Stories campaign, said:
“People seem too busy to make time for anyone they don’t consider to be ‘immediate family’ and when they do meet up they find they have little in common.
“But by spending more time together and discovering what they do have in common – their families past – they’ll have much more to discuss and be able to keep those important family stories and memories alive for generations to come.”
A disappointing 70% of Brits have extended family they’ve never even met, with 61% also admitting there are family floating around that they can’t even name.
Most people blamed the men in the family for this lack of communication- 68% think women are better at keeping in touch.However, when asked why they rarely meet up with extended family, 84% believe job security is an important factor due to worry about taking time off to see family in an unstable economy.
Eight in ten people also think having to re-locate for work has led to families getting together less now than ever before.
Two thirds believe they have reached an age where they make less effort with the family, and therefore only see them at weddings and funerals.
A surprising third are no longer in touch with relatives because of a rift and haven’t spoken to those in question for over six years.
One fifth claimed they can’t afford to visit relatives, while 12% said their job made it difficult to have any time off.
A quarter of those polled even blamed the great British weather for making it impossible to hold the ‘usual’ summer get-togethers.
Oliver Dickson for Grant’s Whisky added:
“We have such busy lives now that there are always excuses for not seeing our family more often, which is such a shame.
“This will lead to families knowing less and less about each other and their history, which is why we’ve launched our Family Stories initiative that aims to help families keep their stories and memories alive for generations to come, as it’s so important.
”Simply visit our website and tell us about your family get together and you could see your family stories captured on film for years to come.”
