Exploring the public’s knowledge about kinship care: a cross-sectional study

Public knowledge can be integral to building broad-based support for programs and policies related to kinship care. Despite this importance, few, if any, studies have examined this topic. This exploratory study utilized a convenience sample (N = 993) of Kentucky residents to assess their perceived and actual knowledge about kinship care, and investigated their knowledge discrepancies. Overall, results indicate that participants tended to overestimate their general knowledge about kinship care. Significant differences in discrepancy scores were detected by participants’ race, education level, work, and kinship experiences. This study offers a number of pragmatic practice and research implications for assessing and garnering broad-based support for strengthening service provisions for kinship caregivers and youth.