U.S. TV and Film Audiences Find Common Ground in Stories About Work, Family, and Care

New research conducted for New America’s entertainment initiative, Re-Scripting Gender, Work, Family, and Care, by the media research firm MarketCast, shows that U.S. television and film viewers are hungry for and engaged by entertainment that includes stories about people managing work, family, caregiving, and personal obligations. They are eager to see characters navigating related complexities and finding solutions.

In a new nationally representative survey of 1,310 U.S. streaming viewers, 92 percent of TV and film viewers surveyed say that seeing realistic work and family themes on television and movies is important to them. Viewers say these work, family, and caregiving stories have broad impacts on their viewing and purchasing decisions, how they live their lives, and how they understand and connect with others.

Both progressive-and conservative-leaning viewers share interests in work, family, and care content and stories about how characters manage these everyday challenges—a significant marker of cultural common ground at a time when the country feels hopelessly divided. Work, family, and care content is especially appealing to older Gen Z and younger millennials as well as to Gen X, women and men, parents, full-time workers, and Black and Latine viewers—but viewers in nearly every demographic group express interest and engagement, demonstrating strong upside and little downside for creatives and studios.

This research, conducted in April 2025 and released in July, provides:

• A strong business case for media companies to produce and show more work, family, and care content based on its potential to engage audiences across multiple demographics and ideologies, including viewers who are most active online and in fandoms. The survey shows:
  • Sixty-five percent of viewers overall (an estimated 58 million people) say that they are more likely to subscribe or stay subscribed to a streaming service that carries programming with authentic stories about work, family, and caregiving. An even higher 85 percent of viewers who prioritize work and family content say this content is likely to affect their streaming subscription decisions.
  • Enthusiast viewers—defined as those who interact with shows or films through fanworks, real-time discussions, events, or online fan communities—place more importance than viewers overall in seeing more work, family, and care stories (60 percent say it is “very important” to them, 96 percent say “very” or “somewhat” important). Engaged fans help to create buzz about shows—meaning that more work, family, and care content on screen could translate into broader and deeper audience promotion of these stories and a wider swath of viewers.
• A compelling creative case for authentic, relatable storytelling about work, family, caregiving, and gender roles across genre, tone, and context. The survey shows:
  • Eighty-seven percent of viewers say stories about people navigating challenges, content that focuses on workplace challenges, financial concerns, and interpersonal relationships that center caregiving are relatable and interesting—and people who have personal experience are even more eager to see these themes on screen.
  • Seventy-nine percent of viewers say they find it easier to connect with characters when they face work and family challenges similar to their own—and nearly as many people (71 percent) report having experience with conflicts between personal or family issues and work responsibilities, providing care to or finding care for a child or loved one, taking a workplace leave, or leaving a job.
  • Viewers whose tastes range from comedy to reality to historical drama to romance to science fiction are eager to see work, family, and care stories embedded in content, whether as a primary story or a subplot. They say there is room to grow, both in terms of work and family content and characters from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, income levels, and household or family structures. They want realism in storytelling but appreciate humor and levity in treatments of tough topics.
• A strong social impact case for incorporating work, family, and caregiving content into television and film stories to help build understanding across differences and catalyze action. The research shows:
  • Eighty-seven percent of viewers surveyed say a show with a work-family theme led them to learn, feel, or do something new, such as gaining an understanding of others, feeling less alone, starting a conversation, or recommending a show to others. In other words, shows create buzz and can spark attitude and behavior change.
  • Television dramas that include work, family, care, and gender equity themes catalyze online conversation more than other programs in terms of the volume of discussion, viewers sharing their own experiences, and people recommending that others watch, according to a social media analysis conducted by MarketCast to complement the survey findings.

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