Partisan Divide Widens Over Marriage And Family Values, While Economic Concerns Soar
NEW YORK – The partisan divide between how Americans view family and the importance of marriage is growing – although most agree that economic challenges continue to be a major concern, a new survey reveals.
The American Family Survey — an annual collaboration between the Wheatley Institute at Brigham Young University, the Deseret News and BYU’s Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy — found that 71% of respondents identified the economy as one of the most important issues affecting families today.
That’s an increase of some 20 percentage points since 2015, the first year the survey was conducted. By contrast, the survey uncovered that fewer than half of Americans cited cultural issues – such as a decline in religious faith or an increase in sexual permissiveness – as a concern.
“The economy has always caused worry for many Americans, but in the ten years since we first began the American Family Survey, it has become an even more pressing issue for families — far surpassing their cultural concerns,” said Christopher Karpowitz, co-director of the Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy and Professor of Political Science at Brigham Young University. “This was particularly evident after the end of pandemic-era government aid programs that benefitted many families, and after the last few years’ rise in inflation, which close to 60% of Americans cite as a major concern.”
The economy, specifically inflation, was a major campaign issue in last year’s presidential race, which saw Donald Trump win the White House for a second time. Trump’s vow to bring down the cost of living was a big reason he was elected and why Republicans swept to power in the Senate and retained control of the House.
Recent inflation peaked at 9.1% in June 2022 when Joe Biden was president – the highest since 1981. The most recent inflation data shows it is down to 2.9%.
Here are some highlights from the report:
— 66% of Republicans agree with the statement that “marriages make society better off,” compared to 34% of Democrats.
— 23% of Democrats think marriage is “old-fashioned and out of date,” compared to 10% of Republicans.
— Those who reported their marriage had been in trouble said the biggest stressors were communication (58%), money (53%) and sex (41%).
— 23% say abortion should be legal in all cases and 7% say it should be banned in all cases.
— 40% support a ban to delay hormone therapy that delays puberty for minors, while 36% oppose it.
— Among parents with children under 18, 89% of Republicans and 86% of Democrats agree that “raising children is one of life’s greatest joys.”
— Among married respondents who have children under 18, 87% of Democrats and 85% of Republicans say they are “somewhat” or “completely” satisfied with their relationships.
— 46% of Americans support a ban on social media for people under 16, while 31% are opposed.
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Family Life In Red And Blue
Across a series of issues, the study – conducted between in August 2024 – revealed that concerns about family life differed based on political affiliation. For example, while there were few partisan differences in Americans’ day-to-day family life, there are much larger gaps in attitudes about the importance of marriage, children and cultural issues.
Nearly eight in 10 Republicans said marriage is needed to create strong families – compared with just four in 10 Democrats. While few Americans are actively hostile to marriage, the report found, Republicans strongly support marriage as a cornerstone of strong families.
Those who vote GOP are also more likely to report being currently married compared to Democrats – regardless of age – although voters from both major parties said marriage helps children and families financially.
American families spend a lot of time together – although the biggest partisan difference had to do with frequency of worship.
About three in 10 Democrats said they worship as a family on a weekly basis and nearly half saying they never worship together. Among Republicans, about four in 10 worship at least weekly, while only three in 10 say they never worship together.
Faith and family factor in other ways. An increasingly secular America and more economic pressures felt by younger people has resulted in a decrease in the birthrate, according to U.S. government data. In addition, marriage rates have remained largely stagnant over the past decade, although the datas varies by state.
The single greatest predictor of a particular location’s birthrate is the religiosity of that place. Americans who attend church, synagogue or mosque services at least once a week have birthrates well above 2.1. The non-religious, by comparison, have birthrates well below 1.5 and falling fast. The moderately religious remain in the middle.
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Church attendance and ‘partisan blindspots’
Democrats and Republicans also differ on how government can help families given a tough economy.
Republicans, the survey found, are far less supportive than Democrats of government programs designed to help families – even when there is evidence that their families would benefit from them. Despite the fact that Republicans tend to worry more about the lack of committed married families, they are also hesitant to support policies aimed at unmarried parents.
On the other hand, Democrats remain reluctant to favor policies that prioritize marriage as an institution (only 34% vs. 67% of Republicans). Democrats also worry about being judgmental of diverse families, despite evidence that marriage can help families financially, the survey said.
But moderates from both parties and those who attend religious services find more agreement on the issue.
For example, 52% of moderate Republicans and 50% who attend religious services support spending more on government and community programs to help families (vs. 39% of conservative Republicans and 38% of those who don’t attend services). For Democrats, 48% of moderates and 66% of those who attend religious services favor those policies.
“American families will continue to face financial issues in the future as the government increases cuts to healthcare, social security and other programs,” said Jeremy Pope, Professor of Political Science and a Wheatley Institution Fellow for Constitutional Government at BYU. “We believe, however, that effective policies are possible if a broad-based coalition of moderate Democrats and Republicans come together — rejecting the partisan blind spots — to pass legislation that would benefit many Americans.”
Clemente Lisi is the executive editor of Religion Unplugged. He previously served as deputy head of news at the New York Daily News and a longtime reporter at The New York Post. Follow him on X @ClementeLisi.