WHY?

According to Porter & Kramer in Strategy & Society, Businesses need good societies and societies need good businesses. In agreement with the concept, TITA Research considers the commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) an important part of the corporate mission. CSR not only makes the world better but will also make the company more sustainable. TITA Research annually performs four CSR programs, one of which is “One is greater than one million”.

There are many ways to make the world better. One of the most popular is donation. A sweater helps a person keep warm. A meal helps save a person from hunger or a house accommodates a family. In general, donation is a good way to share something from your heart. However, only an attempt from a Market Research Company to carry out social research to address burning issues in society can help millions of families live better. That is the Meaning of One is greater than One Million Concept.

“One is greater than one million”, initiated in 2014 with a project focused on teenagers to help parents and sociologists gain a better understanding on the situation of young people in big cities of Vietnam, thereby offering solutions to help parents to narrow the gap with their children. In 2016, facing the rapid alarm about the horribly increasing rate of unhappy family and divorce rates in Vietnam in the last decade, and pursuant to judicial statistics mentioning 40% of marriages ended in divorce (double comparing to 1998)*, we decided to conduct the project “Happy Family” with the purpose of studying the root of potential risks causing family break, then coordinate with social organizations to bring solutions to strengthen the nest of family happiness.

*http://phununews.vn/qua-bom-ly-hon-tang-chong-mat-va-trach-nhiem-cua-dan-ong-viet-75205.html

 In order to provide a thorough understanding about the family, three key approaches wereintegrated into the research.  In phase 1, we used Desk research to explore the general background about Vietnamese families and the issues mentioned frequently by families and society. Phase 2 Qualitative, it also included 2 stages: we conducted in-depth interview with expert family counselors and famous journalists in family life to identify important matters affecting married couples in Vietnam families and Focus group discussions with married adults sought insights that explained the behavior and attitudes occurring in the daily behavior of Vietnamese couples. Besides that the results helped in the development of the questionnaire for the next stage of quantitative effectiveness. In Phase 3 Quantitative, we randomly interviewed 400 married adults in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. The study offered a comfortable feeling to respondents to answer all questions accurately by combining face-to-face interviews at home with self-administration of sensitive information.  The project was conducted with traditional methods like face-to-face interviews aiming at obtaining the best representation of all urban families in Vietnam.

The study found out a lot of insightful findings as follow:

Having the first child marks a strong reduction in satisfaction in married life because parents study about how to bring up a baby, but not on psychology, biology for the couple themselves. In addition, there are just few courses on the topic available for parents. Therefore, many parents don’t have enough knowledge to manage themselves and make their spouse happy. So, communicate to newlywed couples that the stage of having the first child is really a very big event in the marriage with consequences. They should together become well prepared. In addition, more special training courses should be made available for this special stage.

Normal families (those who do not claim they are happy) gradually share less chores and show less concern compared with happy families. So, the increased habit of displaying love to spouse every day by words and actions will make family full of joy and happiness.

Whoever resolves disagreements by facing issues and finding solutions or takes their spouse for granted will feel more comfortable and happier in the family. In order to gain a peaceful atmosphere in the family, parents should learn how to resolve conflict. On the other hands, NGOs newspapers should increase education and communication about the basic differences between males and females.

Sex life largely impacts family happiness. Happy couples are more open in sharing, talking with the spouse about the issue, more considerate about their spouse so that both have real satisfaction. Rate of reaching orgasm about six out of ten times. Key barriers preventing from reaching orgasm are tension, lack of concentration, not enough foreplay or lack of sensitivity.

With a thorough approach, insightful findings and value for society, the project gained a lot of support from media agencies: e.g. A seminar was organized by Women newspaper, 2 TV stations reported news about the seminar, more than 15 newspapers posted articles to educate and guide couples on how to build a happy family. In addition, a  number of Churches integrated findings in Pre-married courses.

TITA Research starts the ball rolling by conducting research to understand root causes which impact family happiness. However, to make the project successful and beneficial for millions of people, we wish to amplify NGOs cooperation as well as organize training courses for couples. That is the practical way to help families be happier and make the world better.

By Phan Quang Thinh, Managing Director, TITA Research Vietnam

Full report available at  www.titaresearch.com.vn