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What are the current norms of solidarity towards dependent parents in France? In the case of elderly people, family solidarity is underpinned by the legal requirement of obligation alimentaire (literally “duty to feed”), which entitles a person who cannot provide for himself/herself to be financially assisted by certain family members. There are other legal sources that define family relations, especially the law of succession. To what extent are these legal definitions and principles governing family relations internalised morally? How do they fit with the diversity of family practices highlighted by sociological and anthropological investigations on family relations? To answer these questions, the authors use the results of the MEDIPS survey on modelling the domestic economy and the impact of social policies, based on a sample of elderly people suffering from cognitive impairment and their family circles. They draw on opinion questions and on an analysis of the conduct of the survey. The respondents who provide financial assistance to a parent are more in favour of strong state intervention as opposed to family solidarity alone. That result confirms the value, in statistical surveys, of interviewing people for whom the questions refer to practical situations and therefore have relevance. As to the way in which family solidarity is exercised (who and how), several factors play a significant role: cohort; having children of one’s own or feeling close to the elderly parent; income of the elderly person and of the respondent; and gender. Women, more in favour of family solidarity and under stronger pressure to provide care, are nevertheless more often against pay for care and welfare benefits based on means-testing of the family.