KinHealth Survey

The KinHealth survey was conducted using a CAWI methodology (Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing) between November 2024 and February 2025. The target population consisted of Italian citizens aged 45 to 65, with a final sample of 5,601 respondents. 

To ensure representativeness of the population and adequate sample sizes for subgroup analyses, respondents were selected according to marginal population distributions defined by macro-regions (NUTS 2), educational attainment, age, and gender, thereby reflecting the demographic composition of the Italian population. Data collection was carried out through the proprietary online panel of a professional agency specialising in market and opinion research. 

The questionnaire was designed to capture multiple dimensions of nuclear and extended kin relations together with individual well-being, and included the following sections:

• Socio-demographic characteristics: age, gender, education, employment status, and place of residence.

• Experimental vignettes: the survey incorporates a vignette-based experimental design, namely a Factorial Survey Experiment (FSE), to elicit information on supportive obligations within nuclear and extended kin.

• Family composition and ties: mapping of both nuclear and extended kin structures, including partner, children, parents, siblings, and other relatives.

• Family network: detailed items on exchanges of support, geographical proximity, interpersonal conflicts, and frequency of contact with different members of nuclear and extended kin, distinguishing face-to-face interactions, telephone calls, video calls, and messaging contacts (such as SMS, WhatsApp, email, or social media, including both written and voice messages).

• Individual health and well-being: measures of self-reported physical and mental health, including the 12-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). The SF-12 was introduced to provide a brief yet reliable alternative to the SF-36, particularly suitable for population surveys aiming to assess general physical and mental health outcomes instead of the typical eight-scale profile.

• Social relations and closing section: friendship-based support, social participation, life satisfaction, and individual income.