10 Encouraging Facts About Marriage You Need to Hear and Share

The state of marriage keeps getting better!

Since we published the book in 2014, the research shows that the state of marriage continues to improve. Yet because the average person doesn’t know these facts, skepticism about marriage continues. We can turn the tide by sharing the truth! Here are just a few updates that every couple and marriage champion needs to know:

6. Divorce rates continue to fall

In 2019 (the most recent year for this statistic), the divorce rate declined to levels not seen in 50 years—with only about 15 marriages in every 1,000 resulting in divorce. This is a 34% fall from its peak in the 1980s.

7. Most marriages continue to be happy

This was true even during the pandemic! A 2021 Monmouth Poll found that 92% of married couples were either extremely or very satisfied in their marriage. And the percent of those who were “extremely satisfied” rose 14% during the pandemic shutdowns in 2020!

“Too often we’re quick to doubt relationships and see them as more fragile than they are,” said Dr. Gary Lewandowski, professor of psychology at Monmouth University. “In reality, our relationship is a tremendous source of strength and stability in uncertain times. Our poll [in 2020] found more than half thought the pandemic would strengthen their relationship. That seemed like wishful thinking, but these numbers show that optimism was warranted.”

8. Divorce continues to be lower in the church 

As we detail in the book, the belief otherwise is based on a misunderstanding of an old George Barna study that was researching divorce rates by belief system (people who self-identified as Christian, Jewish, agnostic, and so on) but excluded church attendance from the analysis.

Research continues to consistently show that divorce rates are significantly lower among those who actually attend church. A 2020 report from the Institute of Family Studies (IFS) found that the likelihood of divorce drops considerably for those who attend church two to three times a month or more compared to those who attend church once a month or less. (The former group also gets married at higher rates.)

A December 2021 report published by IFS found that when controlling for various factors, simply being raised in a church-attending home drops our chances of divorce by 10% compared to those who don’t have that upbringing. (Which is also encouraging for everyone who is raising a child now!)

And that’s not all….