A recent Pew Research Center report indicates that friendships and community ties play a central role in the family networks of Black Americans.
The report notes that Black adults are more likely to define family members as individuals they have known for an extended period, consider close friends, have supported them during difficult times, share common interests or identity, are longtime family friends, share religious or spiritual beliefs, or grew up in the same neighborhood.
The survey also reveals that respondents aged 65 and older are more likely than those under 30 to include such individuals in their definition of family (83% vs. 67%). Conducted in June 2025, the national survey included 4,271 Black American participants.
Previous research has demonstrated that, despite external influences and structural changes affecting traditional African family forms, the strengths and positive aspects of these patterns persist, and group cohesion often increases in challenging physical and social environments.
The Pew report further finds that many Black Americans maintain strong connections to extended family members, such as cousins and grandparents, and that most Black adults consider at least one non-relative as part of their family.
Additionally, a majority of Black adults report viewing other Black people in the United States as brothers or sisters and express a heightened sense of responsibility toward other Black Americans.
The survey underscores that Black Americans’ perceptions of their racial identity are central to their attitudes toward other Black individuals.
These findings extend the Pew Research Center’s previous work on Black identity and the sense of connection among Black Americans.