How Grandparents and Grandchildren Stay Connected in Aging Societies

Why This Is Coming Up Now

In October 2026, Italy's Fondazione Migrantes, Istituto Toniolo and the national statistics agency Istat published a joint study titled 'Stare nel mondo. Giovani e anziani dell'Italia longeva e multiculturale,' examining how young people and grandparents relate to one another in a country with one of the world's oldest populations, as reported by Vatican News and Avvenire.

The study was framed around a stark demographic shift: Vatican News reports that Italy's ratio of elderly people to young adults has moved from roughly 52 per 100 in the 1980s to about 140 per 100 today, with people 65 and over now making up 24.3% of the population. Avvenire, citing the same research, put the overall 2026 ratio at 141.4 elderly per 100 people aged 18 to 34, but noted the figure diverges sharply by background: 157.1 per 100 among native-born Italians, versus 39.8 per 100 among naturalized citizens and 26.3 per 100 among foreign residents, who tend to be younger.

What the Interviews Found

The two outlets gave different figures for the study's interview sample. Avvenire reported 119 biographical interviews, split between 61 young people and 58 grandparents, drawn from Italian nationals, naturalized citizens, foreign residents and Italian expatriates. Vatican News, describing the same project, cited 200 biographical interviews involving 100 young people and their grandparents. Both outlets agree the method was qualitative, life-story interviews rather than a quantitative survey.

Among the cases Avvenire highlighted: Alba, born in Milan in 1939, and her granddaughter Martina, who summarized her grandmother's life as 'war, poverty, freedom,' contrasting it with her own ability to study abroad and choose her path. Another case involved Elena, raised largely by her Ecuadorian grandmother Ana while her parents worked abroad; the two now keep in touch by phone across continents, an arrangement Avvenire described as typical of transnational families.

Vatican News added further context on the generational gap in resources: Istat data cited in the piece put absolute poverty among minors in Italy at 14%, compared with 5.4% among people aged 65 to 74, and at 43.7% among foreign-born minors versus 9.7% among their Italian peers. The same report found Catholic self-identification among young people fell from 56% to 33.7%, and daily prayer stood at 44.4% among the elderly versus 14.4% among youth.

How Contact Frequency Compares Across Countries

Cross-country data from Pew Research Center, drawn from a 2015 survey, shows how often grandparents and grandchildren actually communicate once distance and culture are factored in. Italian grandparents reported the most frequent contact: 43% said they spoke with grandchildren at least daily, and another 40% at least weekly. American and German grandparents reported less daily contact but similar overall engagement through weekly communication.

Pew's 2015 report also noted that American grandparents relied more on text messages, email and social media to stay in touch, while Italian and German grandparents leaned more heavily on phone calls.

The Picture in the United States Today

A more recent Pew Research Center analysis, published in September 2026, found that two-thirds of US adults aged 65 and older were grandparents in 2024, with the likelihood rising sharply with age: less than 1% of people in their 30s were grandparents, compared with 27% in their 50s, 51% in their 60s and 74% among those aged 80 to 90. The average grandparent was 68 years old.

Using 2022-23 data from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study, Pew reported that US grandparents had an average of six grandchildren, and 21% said they or a spouse had spent 100 hours or more caring for a grandchild over a two-year period, roughly one hour a week. Separately, 70% of grandparents 65 and older said they were in touch with grandchildren at least a few times a month, including 15% daily and 27% several times a week. Overall, 36% of adults with living grandparents described themselves as extremely or very close to them, a figure Pew found was higher among Black Americans, at 49%.

Why Commentators Say the Bond Still Matters

An opinion piece in the Italian outlet Interris, written by Francesca Zonfrillo, argued that intergenerational dialogue is becoming more, not less, important as artificial intelligence and rapid technological change reshape daily life. The author contrasted the speed with which young people move, sometimes without historical context, to the experience older generations gained by living through earlier waves of technological change, summarizing that outlook in the line quoted below.

The piece suggested concrete, everyday steps rather than grand gestures: helping older relatives navigate online services, inviting grandparents into schools, and setting phones aside during family conversations. The Istat-Migrantes study reached a similar conclusion, describing intergenerational relationships as a resource in which support flows in both directions, including younger relatives helping older ones with digital tools.

Key Takeaways

• Italy's elderly-to-youth ratio has roughly tripled since the 1980s, from about 52 to about 140 per 100, according to Vatican News' account of the Istat-Migrantes study.
• The same study found elderly-to-youth ratios vary widely by migration background, from 157.1 per 100 among native Italians to 26.3 per 100 among foreign residents, per Avvenire.
• Italian grandparents report the most frequent daily contact (43%) among the three countries Pew surveyed in 2015, ahead of the United States (20%).
• Two-thirds of Americans 65 and older were grandparents in 2024, and 70% of them stay in touch with grandchildren at least a few times a month, per Pew Research Center's September 2026 report.