Survey Finds Black Americans Have The Highest Rates Of Kinship Bonds Beyond Biological Family

New research underscores the strong kinship bonds many Black Americans share with “play cousins” and other non-biological loved ones they consider family.

New research explores the significant share of Black Americans who say they have at least one unrelated person in their lives whom they consider family.

On Feb. 25, the Pew Research Center released a new report, “What Family Means to Black Americans,” examining how Black communities exchange emotional and financial support with both relatives and non-relatives they regard as family. The survey found that 77% of Black Americans say they have at least one person in their lives—unrelated by birth, marriage, or law—whom they consider family, compared to 63% of non-Black adults who said the same.

“Half the people I call aunt or uncle aren’t related to me at all,” Albert Youngblood, 37, a plumber who grew up in D.C.’s Ward 8, told the Seattle Medium. “They were there when my mom was working doubles. They were there when I got in trouble at school. Blood doesn’t make you show up. Showing up makes you family.”

Among Black adults who consider a non-relative to be family, 95% say they’ve known that person for many years, and the same percentage describe them as a close friend. Nearly 92% say that a non-relative supported them during a difficult time. Additionally, 88% report having a great deal in common, 85% say they share aspects of identity such as race or gender, and 83% consider them a longtime family friend. About 72% share religious or spiritual beliefs, while 55% say they grew up in the same neighborhood.

“My play cousins sat with me every night that first week,” Sakeena White, 33, said of her close non-relatives who supported her after her father died. “We aren’t related on paper, but they carried me. That’s family.”

Among Black adults with close non-relatives, 73% say they feel extremely or very close to someone they consider family, nearly matching the 77% who say the same about a spouse or partner. Strong bonds also extend to relatives, with 48% feeling very close to a grandparent, 42% to a cousin, and 36% to an aunt or uncle, significantly higher than non-Black adults in each category.

Financial support is also significant. Nearly 59% of Black adults say they provided money to parents or other relatives in the past year, up from 39% in 2021, compared to 42% of non-Black adults. But that support often carries a burden: 51% of Black adults who gave financial help say it strained their own finances, versus 35% of non-Black adults.

“I’ve written checks when I knew it would tighten things at home,” said Landry Baldwin, 48. “But if my people need help, I don’t debate it. That’s how I was raised.”

The survey highlights a deep sense of shared identity: 75% of Black adults say being Black is central to how they see themselves, 58% view other Black Americans as brothers or sisters, and 79% feel at least some responsibility to look out for one another.

“When one of us wins, we all feel it. When one of us is hurting, we all feel that too,” Youngblood said. “That’s why family, for us, is bigger than paperwork. It always has been.”