A recent Gallup poll says the majority of Americans are
married (54%) or have never married but would like to be someday (21%).
That leaves 5% of Americans who have never married and say they don't
want to do so, along with 20% who have been previously married or did
not classify their marital status.
The Census Bureau reports that the rate of
marriage is down, from 9.9 marriages per 1,000 Americans in 1987 to 6.8
in 2011.
In addition, researchers at the University of Maryland found
that the marriage rate per 1,000 unmarried women fell from 90 in 1950,
at the height of the baby boom, to just 31 in 2011.
9% of
Americans aged 18 to 34 are unmarried and express no interest in
marrying, but 56% of this group is unmarried and does want to get
married.
This high level of interest in marriage suggests there is
little widespread attitudinal aversion to first-time marriage among the
nation's younger unmarried residents.
Although most Americans are married or would like to get married,
less than two-thirds consider it very or somewhat important for a couple
to marry if the two want to spend the rest of their lives together or
when they want to have a child together.
This is down from 2006, the
last time Gallup asked about the importance of marriage in this way.
Fewer than 6 in 10 Americans who have never been married but want
to be say it is important that a couple get married in these
circumstances.
This suggests that a sizable percentage of Americans who
would like to get married still don't think it is important that they do
so.
Americans who have never married but would like to were asked to
explain why they were still single. The reasons given are
straightforward, including the fact that they have not found the right
person or because they are too young, or not ready to get married.
Finances are the third-most-frequently mentioned reason, followed by
having no time, career considerations, attending school or not trusting
people.
Implications
Regardless of age, Americans are much more positive about marriage
than not, as the majority of all age groups are married or want to get
married someday. Fewer than 1 in 10 young Americans have never married
and say they do not want to get married.
These findings indicate that
there is a significant desire for marriage even as the overall marriage
rate has dropped in recent years.
On the other hand, Americans' views of the importance of being
married when two people want to spend their lives together or have a
child has declined in recent years.
Thus, while most younger Americans
who have never married express an attitudinal interest in eventually
doing so, fewer hold the underlying attitude that such an action is
important.
The reasons Americans who have never married yet want to be married
give for why they have not yet married support the idea that getting
married is to some degree a matter of timing and convenience rather than
necessity, as most reasons have to do with waiting for the right
partner or the right time.
All in all, the data suggest that marriage holds its traditional
status as the expected route for young couples, but the perceived
importance of adhering to that tradition may be weakening.
Thus, the
overall marriage rate may be dropping partly because younger Americans
feel more comfortable in waiting to be married, even if they do get
married eventually.
