What do people really think about marriage in the big 25? Do people still find it important or just see it as an archaic contract that should be obsolete by now? According to Harvard's 2025 Youth poll, young people are prioritizing marriage less, but are still optimistic about long-term partnerships.
57% of the respondents said they think marriage is important, and 48% also think the same about having children. As with most things, political affiliation also plays a role here: 75% of Republicans say that getting married is important, while only 56% of Democrats say the same. Still, 67% of the young people surveyed by Harvard say that they view long-term romantic relationships as important.
A recent study by The Times also shows a similar trend. They have found that Gen Z are more critical of hookup culture than Millennials and are more likely to be pro-marriage. 20 years ago, 39% of young adults thought that marrying is irrelevant when it comes to having children and being a family. Today, only a fifth of 18 to 27-year-olds think that marriage is outdated.
Why are Gen Z becoming more conservative? Some experts suggest that young people are rejecting the laid-back attitudes about love, living together, and having children. The director of research at the charity Marriage Foundation Harry Benson told The Times that for Gen Z, it's all about the commitment itself rather than the spectacle and appearances.
Co-founder & CEO of Her Campus Media Stephanie Kaplan Lewis told Newsweek that for Gen Z, it's deeper than for the previous generations. "Older generations may have felt drawn to marriage out of necessity or obligated based on societal pressures which also led to high divorce rates, but Gen Z sees things differently. For them, there is renewed hope in committing to a partner and having a built in support system."
Some believe that Gen Z could save the plummeting marriage rates in the U.S. According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, 25% of 40-year-olds have never been married. This is a record high, since in 1980 that percentage was at just 6% and 15% in 2000. As Gen Z are just starting to get married, it's hard to calculate the marriage rates, but most say they want and plan to get married. According to a 2023 survey by the Knot, 77% of people in their 20s have already taken at least one step towards planning a wedding.
There's also another element at play here: young people might be more open to marriage because they don't see it as a permanent thing. With divorce rates being almost 50% in the U.S., Gen Z grew up seeing examples of people getting married and getting divorced just a few years later. "We don't always need to be doing things that society deems to be the normal path," Gen Z media specialist Charlie Sawyer also told The Times.
It all sounds very optimistic, but that's not to say that young people don't have any reservations about marriage. On the contrary, they have to worry about things that the previous generations didn't. Some worry about the economic state of the world. As therapist and researcher Stan Tatkin told Newsweek, "housing and having money to buy a house are difficult factors that come into play for young people."
