KUALA LUMPUR: The National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) has highlighted several pressing concerns faced by Malaysians in their daily lives.
These problems include the high cost of living, rising expenses in raising children, less time for family activities, the need to take on multiple jobs to boost household income, and gadget addiction, it said.
The findings were based on an online survey conducted by LPPKN with 5,430 respondents aged 18 and above between 7 and 30 Nov.
The survey was part of the 2024 National Family Month celebrations, themed Kasih Keluarga, Jiwa Madani.
LPPKN is an agency under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD) that plays the role of advising the government through research activities.
LPPKN's Population and Family Research Division director, Adzmel Mahmud, reported that 41.8 per cent of respondents said they struggled to spend enough time with their families due to work commitments driven by the rising cost of living.
"On weekdays, the average time spent with family is 7.5 hours, increasing to 13.4 hours on weekends. However, work constraints and long-distance relationships limit family time," he said.
"Additionally, many breadwinners take on dual jobs to support their families, leaving little time for loved ones."
Adzmel added that 62.2 per cent of respondents identified work pressures as the main cause of insufficient family time, while 16.5 per cent cited time management issues and 8.7 per cent pointed to long-distance relationships.
The survey also revealed that 38.9 per cent of respondents were juggling two jobs, one of the five primary challenges facing modern families.
Around 97 per cent of respondents agreed that the high cost of living was a major burden for families, with 71.6 per cent saying they were impacted by the rising cost of raising children.
Additionally, 41.6 per cent noted that family activity time had diminished due to growing responsibilities, and 33.2 per cent highlighted gadget addiction as a significant challenge.
Regarding family activities, 61.3 percent of respondents regarded eating together daily as their key family activity, followed by gatherings (51.6 per cent) and weekly recreational activities (32.1 per cent).
The survey also found that 7.6 per cent believed married couples should consider not having children.