The report summarizes 27 research studies which examined the attitudes and perspectives of parents of currently or formerly institutionalized people with mental retardation concerning movement from institutional to community placements. Several trends were evident. Parents whose offspring were living in institutions at the time of the survey were overwhelmingly (90%) satisfied. Parents whose offspring had moved from institutions to small community settings were very positive (over 80%) about the new community settings. Finally, the mean level of satisfaction with the institution for retrospective studies (after movement to the community) was only 52.3%. Results are summarized in seven tables: (1) parent attitudes about residential placement--parents surveyed during institutional placement; (2) parent attitudes about residential placement--parents surveyed during community placement; (3) parent attitudes about residential placements--parents sampled during institutional and community placement; (4) reasons for parental opposition to deinstitutionalization; (5) continuing concerns about community settings; (6) positive outcomes related to community placements; and (7) ways to facilitate parental satisfaction with the deinstitutionalization process. (35 references) (DB)