CV NEWS FEED // A recent Gallup poll found that married Americans are “thriving” at rates higher than divorced, cohabitating or unmarried Americans.
Gallup collected data from 2009 to 2023 from ages 25 to 50, and found a 16% difference in “thriving” rates of married versus unmarried Americans.
Gallup surveyed the participants on a zero to 10 scale to indicate their level of happiness with life in general. The participants’ answers were classified as either “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” depending on the numbers they chose.
Participants ranked both their current life and what they anticipate their life to be like in five years.
Gallup reported, “Those who rate their current life a 7 or higher and their anticipated life in five years an 8 or higher are classified as thriving.”
In 2023, 61% of married participants were classified as “thriving.” Forty-eight percent of participants in a “domestic partnership” were classified as “thriving” in the same year.
In 2023, 45% of divorced participants, and 45% of unmarried participants, both were classified as “thriving.”
“The higher wellbeing of married adults relative to those who have never married can be found for men and women across all major racial/ethnic groups,” Gallup reported, adding that age and educational levels also did not explain the trends.
Gallup noted that married couples are more likely to be practicing a religion, which “is also positively correlated with subjective well-being. Still, the positive association between marriage and wellbeing is found among religious adherents and adults who are atheists or agnostic.”
The quality of the romantic relationship also reported higher in married participants with children, Gallup noted.
Eighty-three percent of married couples living with children “report being in a strong and loving relationship with their spouse,” Gallup reported.
In comparison, “only 69% of those in a domestic partnership and 61% of those in a non-domestic exclusive relationship report the same,” the Gallup report continued.
Gallup offered several suggestions for why married participants reported higher rates of wellbeing and overall happiness.
“Married people may possess long-term personality traits and characteristics that tend to make life better for themselves and their intimate relationships,” Gallup reported, noting that this does not necessarily explain the trends fully.
Cultural, social, and legal support of the institution of marriage “likely affects behaviors and attitudes in important ways that enhance wellbeing,” Gallup continued. The commitment of marriage raises the risks and costs in ending that relationship, the report noted.
“Logically, this should encourage greater partner selection, as well as greater investments and effort to develop and maintain a high-quality relationship,” Gallup concluded:
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.
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