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TikTok Generation emphatically says "I do" to marriage, finds new study
Good news 18-30 year-olds back marriage
8 in 10 young people say they want to marry
Three-quarters of young people expect to marry
Government urged to back Marriage Week
The TikTok generation emphatically back marriage, finds a major new study from the Marriage Foundation.
The study, which includes a survey of 2,000 young people, aged between 18-30 is being released ahead of Marriage Week, (10th – 16 May). It finds 86 per cent of unmarried women and 80 per cent of unmarried men under 30 in a relationship say they would “like to get married at some point” in their life. While 76 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men under 30 say they “expect to get married at some point”.
Its findings help debunk the myth that the under 30s have fallen out of love with the idea of marrying.
“Our new survey of 2,000 young unmarried UK adults aged 18-30, commissioned by Marriage Foundation for Marriage Week 10-16 May 2021 and conducted by OnePoll, reveal that the desire to get married among young adults at some point is remarkably strong,” it says.
Importantly the survey finds that neither age or socio-economic group significantly diminishes the desire to wed. Nearly nine in 10 (89 per cent) of women aged 18-24 want to marry, dropping just six points to 83 per cent for 25-30 year olds. By contrast, the proportion of men who want to marry, marginally increased in the two age ranges from 78 per cent to 81 per cent.
While in the top tercile, nine in 10 (91 per cent) of women and 83 per cent of men want to marry, this drops only a few points in the bottom tercile to 81 per cent of women and 82 per cent of men wanting to tie the knot.
Harry Benson, Marriage Foundation’s Research Director commented: “A dangerous and pervasive myth has developed that paints young people as a group that rejects commitment and shuns traditional institutions we usually think are more closely associated with their parent’s generation. However, our study finds the opposite. Young people emphatically aspire to be married and expect to get married, clearly recognising the benefits associated with long-term stable relationships. This is great news as we mark the start of Marriage Week.”
It found little difference in the levels of support when how couples met was taken into account. 88 per cent of women who met online want to marry compared to 82 per cent who met socially in a bar or elsewhere. The figure was 86 per cent of women who met in school, family or work settings. While men were a little lower in all three categories.
The study, which is largely positive in its findings, is critical at the lack of support for married couples from the Government. “…as rates of marriage have declined, politicians and policymakers have been strangely reluctant to distinguish or prefer marriage, so that in government fiscal policy and on many government forms, couples are often invited to say whether they are married or living together 'as if married' (Benson 2020).
“This policy silence comes despite the popularity of marriage among the top income groups, including politicians themselves…”
It continues: “Marriage Week is a chance to remind ourselves of the central stabilising role marriage plays in society.
“While government policy has been reluctant to recognise the primacy of marriage, the British public still do….
“…We, therefore, invite the government to send a message of affirmation for this desire among young adults by backing Marriage Week.
“Better still, we invite government to begin the process of building a serious policy that promotes, encourages and distinguishes marriage from 'living together as if married, in order to help young adults translate their aspiration for marriage into achievement. This is a social justice issue.”
Sir Paul Coleridge, founder of Marriage Foundation commented: “The way in which young couples meet may have changed, i.e. via dating sites and apps, but yet again our research overwhelmingly shows that marriage is as popular as ever as their long-term aspiration. So why are Government ministers and many MPs still so reluctant to back marriage? The answer of course is out of an irrational fear of being portrayed as old fashioned and judgmental. But as our study shows support for marriage and the desire to wed remains strong, regardless of age, class or how couples are meeting. So why don’t politicians of all persuasions support this most tried, tested and successful of social arrangements which would hugely benefit the individuals, children, families and the country as a whole.
Mr Benson added: “Only last week a Government Minister refused to recognise the indisputable research that marriage is three times more stable than informal cohabitation and parroted the line that ‘families come in all shapes and sizes’. Yes, they do, but that does not prevent the Government from promoting marriage and providing more support for struggling couples.
“We invite government – of whose cabinet 85 per cent are married – to affirm this strong desire to marry among young adults by backing Marriage Week, and to motivate the development of a fearless policy that promotes and distinguishes marriage in line with the evidence.”
ENDS