As societal norms continue to evolve, recent statistics reveal a shift in marital trends across Britain, with a notable decrease in the percentage of married adults. This development has sparked concern from various quarters, particularly the Marriage Foundation.
According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), only 49.5% of individuals aged 16 and over are married or in a civil partnership as of 2024. This marks a decline from 51.5% recorded in 2014.
Cohabitation, however, remains prevalent, with 60.5% of people over 16 living as couples, whether legally bound or not. The data indicates a stark contrast among different age groups. While just 25.1% of those between 16 to 29 are in a couple arrangement, over 70% of individuals aged 30 to 64 are coupled up.
The statistics also highlight an increase in adults who have never been married or entered a civil partnership, rising to 36.8% in 2024 from 33.9% in 2014.
Commenting on these findings, Harry Benson, Research Director at the Marriage Foundation, expressed concern: “Today’s bleak and disheartening figures from the ONS show that the proportion of the adult population who are married continues to fall and remains below 50 per cent.”
He observed a lingering trend that has persisted since the 1970s, noting, “This is the continuation of a very slow long-term downtrend that began in the 1970s, which has seen the overwhelming majority of the rich continue to marry, while less than half of those in the lowest socio-economic group wed, and in the poorest group, less than one in five do.”
Benson advocated for policy reforms, urging the government to eliminate disincentives to marriage, such as the withdrawal of benefits upon marriage.
He highlighted the positive impact of marriage on relationship stability, stating, “The fact is that the psychology involved in the act of marriage helps couples want to make their relationship work. The most recent studies show that UK parents are significantly more likely to stay together if they are married, regardless of background.”
In his final remarks, Benson noted the paradox of declining divorce rates amid increasing family breakdowns due to non-marital separations: “Marriage may be no guarantee, but it stacks the odds in your favour. Divorce rates are at their lowest since the 1970s. Yet record levels of family breakdown have been driven mostly by the collapse of relationships that never formalised through marriage or civil partnership. The message from psychology and the data is simple. If you want to stay together, get married.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
