Is marriage becoming irrelevant? This question led a Gallup report finding a growing number of Americans believe the institution of marriage isn’t very important for couples who plan to spend their lives together or who have children together.
The research, released in late 2020, found 29% of people say it’s very important for couples with children together to be legally married, down from 49% in 2006. And 38% of Americans say it’s very important for couples to marry if they plan to live together the rest of their lives, down from 54% in 2006.
More surprisingly, churchgoers’ views on marriage are also changing. In 2006, 65% of weekly church attendees said it’s very important that couples with children together legally marry. That share fell to 45% in 2020.
Keep reading this article on Lifeway Research.