In a world punctuated by declining marriage rates, a new study recently published by Gallup has shown again that married Americans are thriving at higher rates than their unmarried peers.
In fact, the data show that there is a 16-percentage-point difference between married (61%) and unmarried adults (45%) who reported that they are thriving.
What makes the difference? While Gallup notes that race, ethnicity, gender, age and education level do not explain the gap, they also point out that married couples are more likely to practice a religion. It is worth noting, however, that even religious practice does not fully explain the difference, with atheist and agnostic married couples reporting that they are thriving at a higher rate than their unmarried peers.
“The institution of marriage — with its cultural, social and legal implications — likely affects behaviors and attitudes in important ways that enhance wellbeing. Through its formal and informal commitments, marriage raises the costs of terminating a relationship,” Gallup reported.
“Logically, this should encourage greater partner selection, as well as greater investments and effort to develop and maintain a high-quality relationship. The data on relationship quality and marriage are consistent with this prediction. Even apart from physical attraction, having a strong intimate relationship with another adult is widely regarded as a desirable situation, and marriage makes this more likely. Marriage also increases the likelihood of having children and is associated with better relationships with those children, as previous Gallup research has shown.”
Read the full report on the new study from Gallup here.