Millennials Value Parenthood More Than Marriage

While parenthood and marriage have long been linked, America’s youngest generation places far more value on the former than the latter. A 52%-majority of Millennials (adults ages 18 to 29) say being a good parent is one of the most important things in their life. Just 30% say the same about having a successful marriage, meaning there is a 22-percentage-point gap in the way Millennials value parenthood over marriage. When this same question was posed to 18- to 29-year-olds in 1997, the gap was just seven percentage points. At the time, 42% of members of that generation — known as Gen X — said being a good parent is one of the most important things in life while 35% said the same about having a successful marriage. Pew Research surveys also find that Millennials are less likely than adults ages 30 and older to say that a child needs a home with both a father and mother to grow up happily and that single parenthood and unmarried couple parenthood are bad for society. Read More