Nearly four in 10 Americans (39%) now believe that marriage is obsolete according to a new Pew Research Center nationwide survey, conducted in association with TIME magazine. In 1978 when TIME magazine posed this question to registered voters, just 28% agreed. Those most likely to agree now include those who are a part of the phenomenon (62% of cohabiting parents) as well as those most likely to be troubled by it (42% of self-described conservatives).
Despite these growing uncertainties, Americans are more upbeat about the future of marriage and family (67% say they are optimistic) than about the future of the country’s educational system (50% optimistic), its economic system (46% optimistic) or its morals and ethics (41% optimistic).
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