Marriage Before the Baby Carriage? More Americans Are Saying ‘Yes’

“First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in the baby carriage.”

Until recently, no generation questioned the logical natural progression of family life. Marriage first. Babies second. In 1940, just 4% of births occurred outside of marriage. For the last few decades, that number has sat at a remarkably high level of 40%.

In late 2020, Gallup asked an important question: “Is marriage becoming irrelevant?” Only 29% of Americans in that year believed it was “very important” for men and women to be married before they have children together. But the latest Gallup data shows a notable and encouraging turnaround. In August, Gallup reported that “roughly four in 10 Americans say it is very important for a couple to be legally married if they have a child together (39%), up 10 percentage points from the prior reading in 2020.”

While encouraging, this is merely a return to 2013 levels, well below the 49% who said it was morally unacceptable to have a baby outside of wedlock in 2006.

But what is most significant about this shift is where it’s happening. It is taking place among independents, to be sure, from 30% in 2020 who believe couples should marry before having children to 39% today. It is improving just slightly among liberals, from 18% in 2020 to only 21% at present.

The shift is clearly most pronounced among conservatives. In 2020, only 36% of conservatives believed marriage was essential for having children. Today, that number has spiked to 58% as we see here.

The gain is also most pronounced among weekly church attendees, with a strong 24 percentage point increase over 2020 figures. This is very encouraging news for those who care about children and their well-being, as it is well-documented that children thrive in all important measures of well-being when born and raised by their own married parents.

Why the Increase Among Conservatives?

So what caused the strong increase in conviction about married childbearing among conservatives, especially those who are faith-filled?

University of Virginia sociologist Brad Wilcox took up this important question. He believes “we can attribute this trend in large part to the work that Right-leaning think tanks – like the Institute for Family Studies and the American Enterprise Institute – have done in recent years to spotlight the value of marriage.” Professor Wilcox also believes Charlie Kirk and his strong message about the goodness of marriage played a strong role:

The Daily Citizen agrees with Wilcox when he observes, “If more growth is to happen, conservatives can lead the way.” Wilcox adds, “Through culture, research, public policy, and leading by example, conservatives can speak clearly about the necessity of married, stable families for the next generation.”

Public conviction about the essential nature of marriage for the good of children and society is a critical cultural issue resting upon our larger beliefs about how human life is ordered.

The present research collected over the last few decades is crystal clear and strongly persuasive on how marriage boosts every important measure of human well-being. This is why creating the next generation of humanity through married fertility must happen in greater frequency than it currently is. And faith-filled conservatives seem to understand this better than others. We must see that this wise conviction spreads for the good of society and the future of humanity. This new Gallup data should give us hope and encouragement in this critical task.

Related articles and resources:

Marriage and the Pursuit of Happiness

Research Shows Marriage Boosts Well Being

Are Men or Women More Likely to Be Married?

New Research Shows Married Families Matter More Than Ever

Why You Should Care About the Growing Positive Power of Marriage

Important New Research on How Married Parents Improve Child Well-Being

New Research: Marriage Still Provides Major Happiness Premium

Cohabitation Still Harmful – Even as Stigma Disappears

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Women

Don’t Believe the Modern Myth. Marriage Remains Good for Men.

Yes, Married Mothers Really Are Happier Than Unmarried and Childless Women

Marriage and the Public Good: A New Manifesto of Policy Proposals