Every third Dane has broken off relations with their family

9 percent involved in permanent conflict

Christmas is supposed to be a time of year which is spent in the warm embrace of family. But for many Danes, that may not necessarily be an option, according to an Epinion survey compiled for DR Nyheder.

The survey – which interviewed 1,030 Danes over the age of 18 – found that every third has experienced a conflict with a close family member which has led to relations being broken off. Lars Dencik, a family relations researcher from Roskilde University, said that the principle reason was financial independence.

“People are more independent now and they don’t need each other financially,” Dencik told DR Nyheder. “There is no social condemnation of it as there was in the past. That’s why we are seeing more broken relations.”

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Parents and siblings
The survey also showed that while for 13 percent said that the conflict was short term, 11 percent said that the conflict was long term and 9 percent revealed that the relationship collapse was a permanent fixture.

The survey also showed that 38 percent of the conflicts involved parents and their children while 38 percent involved conflicts between siblings.




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