The Christian Post is reporting, "The share of 12th graders who say they plan to get married has declined precipitously among girls, and fewer of them are interested in having children, too."
This is based on a report from the Pew Research Center.
Data for the report were collected by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, which is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood. The study surveys more than 25,000 eighth, 10th, and 12th-grade students annually.
What's going on with marriage?
Be informed, not misled.
The Christian Post reports that Pew used data for the report that was collected by the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future project, which is an ongoing study of the behaviors, attitudes, and values of Americans from adolescence through adulthood. The study surveys more than 25,000 eighth, 10th, and 12th-grade students annually.
Via Christian Post:
Pew researchers identified the massive shift in thinking among 12th-grade girls after comparing survey responses of 12th graders in 1993 to the responses of 12th graders in 2023.
The data show that overall, 67% of America’s 12th graders in 2023 say they will likely choose to get married someday, compared to 80% in 1993. Another 24% in 2023 weren’t sure whether they would choose to get married, an increase from the 16% who said the same in 1993. The share of students in the cohort who said they will not get married increased from 5% to 9% over the period.
When the data is broken down by gender, however, more boys (74%) than girls (61%) said in 2023 that they are likely to get married. In 1993, 83% of 12th-grade girls said they would more likely get married someday, compared to 76% of boys.
Even if they do get married, only 51% of 12th graders in 2023 said they were very likely to stay married to the same person for life. In 1993, this share was 59%. Less than half of 12th graders in 2023, some 48%, also stated that they were very likely to want to have children compared with 64% in 1993.
Via Barna studies:
In a separate report on marriage trends, Barna found that only 46% of American adults are married today compared to some 66% in 1950. Most unmarried adults, however, still expressed a desire to marry.
Some 81% of U.S. adults expressed belief in marriage, but they are rethinking what that looks like in modern life.
“Today’s families are navigating delayed marriage, steady divorce rates, growing acceptance of cohabitation, and renewed interest in remarriage. Each of these patterns carries implications for how churches prepare couples for marriage, support those in crisis, and walk alongside people rebuilding life after divorce,” Barna researchers said, reflecting on new data from The State of Today’s Family( link 5) report.
At a glance, Barna notes:
- Fewer adults are married today, but most still hope to be. Slightly less than half of U.S. adults are married today (46% according to Barna), down from two-thirds in 1950, but most unmarried adults still aspire to marry.
- Divorce remains steady, and remarriage is common. Roughly one in six adults has been divorced, and over half of those have remarried—reflecting both relational complexity and resilience.
- Gen Z values marriage but is rethinking family. Most (81%) still believe in marriage and hope to wed someday, yet they’re rethinking what family and commitment look like in modern life.
Barna also says, "Marriage remains one of the most visible and vulnerable institutions shaping the lives of people in and beyond the Church. For pastors and ministry leaders, understanding how marriage patterns are shifting isn’t just about tracking cultural trends—it’s about recognizing the real relational contexts families are bringing into their congregations."
And they say, "Today’s families are navigating delayed marriage, steady divorce rates, growing acceptance of cohabitation, and renewed interest in remarriage. Each of these patterns carries implications for how churches prepare couples for marriage, support those in crisis, and walk alongside people rebuilding life after divorce."
Here are New data from Barna’s The State of Today’s Family report—part of a multi-year, multi-partner study called the Flourishing Families Initiative—reveals a nuanced portrait of marriage, parenting and relationships in the U.S.—and offers ministry leaders an opportunity to reflect on how they can help couples and individuals flourish in every season of family life.
Here are five shifts in marriage and divorce that are affecting the future of relationships in the U.S. today.
1. First-Time Marriages Are Down
About half of U.S. adults today are married (46% according to Barna; 51% according to the U.S. Census). In 1950, two-thirds of adults were married—a steady decline over 70 years.
2. Divorces Are Steady, But So Are Remarriages
Eighteen percent of U.S. adults tell Barna they have been divorced at some point. While never-married adults are slow to choose marriage for the first time, divorced adults seem eager to return to it: More than half (55%) have remarried.
3. Unmarried Cohabitation Is Rare, But Accepted (Even by Christians)
U.S. census data show that just 8 percent of adults currently live with a partner outside of marriage—a relatively small share, though this number has grown from reported near zero in 1970.
What’s more significant is the shift in social attitudes. According to the latest Barna study, 58 percent of all adults and 42 percent of practicing Christians now say it’s “wise” to live with someone before marriage.
4. Christians Experience Divorce as Often as the General Population
Christians—even practicing Christians, who regularly attend church and say their faith is important to them—are as likely as other adults to say they have gone through divorce (20% non-practicing Christians, 16% practicing Christians, 16% non-Christians).
However, Christians are not likely to stay divorced; overall, 58 percent of Christians who have been divorced say they have remarried. The effect is that Christians remain more likely than their peers of other faith groups to be married, whether once or multiple times.
5. Gen Z Believes in Marriage—But Has Their Doubts
That's a profile of what society, today, thinks about marriage.
Takeaway
Biblical marriage is defined as a permanent, exclusive covenant between one man and one woman, established by God as a sacred union where the two become "one flesh". It is a lifelong commitment grounded in mutual love, faithfulness, and the reflection of the relationship between Christ and the church. This sacred covenant is also described as having purposes of procreation and bringing about domestic felicity.
Key aspects of biblical marriage:
- A covenant, not just a contract: It is a sacred, lifelong agreement before God, not merely a legal or social contract.
- "One flesh" union: The two partners become a single, unified entity, which involves a total sharing of their lives.
- Lifelong commitment: It is a permanent union "till death do us part," with the Bible describing it as having no escape clause.
- Reflection of Christ and the Church: Marriage is intended to model the selfless, sacrificial love Jesus has for his church.
- Purpose of procreation: God's command to "be fruitful and multiply" is a foundational purpose of marriage.
- Exclusivity and monogamy: The creation account establishes a model of one man and one woman, which Jesus affirmed in his teachings on divorce.
Be Informed. Be Discerning. Be Vigilant. Be Prayerful.