The National Center for Family and Marriage Research at Bowling Green State University has released a new study comparing the marriage habits of Americans some 40 years ago and now, and has found that most US residents in their early adulthood do not regard the traditional marriage arrangement as necessary or even desirable, according to Newsweek.
The findings of the report detail stark differences in the necessity of being married, among other lifestyle choices, between those who were aged 25 to 34 in 1980, and those who were in the same age set in 2015.
In comparing data compiled from the US census program between 1980 and 2015, the study found that about 70 percent of the 24-35 age group were married in 1980, while just 41 percent of the same group were married in 2015.
A university-level education has, however, increased in importance for young Americans. Some 32 percent of those who were aged 24-35 in 2015 had graduated college, as opposed to just 23 percent in 1980.
Data gleaned from the census program also revealed that 84 percent of those between 24 and 35 in 1980 lived independently, away from Mom and Dad, while, remarkably, only 30 percent of that group could say that same in 2015.
Although the two groups feel very differently about marriage, they appear to share the same goals with regard to work. Some 74 percent of those in the 24-35 age group in 1980 were employed during that time, mirroring the exact same statistic for those in that age subset in 2015.
A 2016 study by the Pew Research Center identified that those between the ages of 24 and 35 were much more likely to be living with their parents, or with family members, as opposed to living with a partner, married or not, or alone.
