Support for Same-Sex Marriage at Record High, but Key Segments Remain Opposed
Public support for allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally continues its rapid rise: A 57% majority of Americans now favor allowing same-sex marriage, up from 42% just five years ago.
Family Support in Graying Societies
America is turning gray, with the share of people ages 65 and older expected to rise more than 50% by 2050 – a trend that may burden more families. But Germany and Italy are already there, with a fifth of their population in that age range.
Americans' ideal family size is smaller than it used to be
Half of Americans (48%) say two is the ideal number of children for a family to have, reflecting a decades-long preference for a smaller family over a larger one.
Childlessness Falls, Family Size Grows Among Highly Educated Women
For women, postgraduate education and motherhood are increasingly going hand-in-hand. Not only are highly-educated women more likely to have kids, they are also having bigger families than in the past.
For most highly educated women, motherhood doesn’t start until the 30s
More than half (54%) of mothers near the end of their childbearing years with at least a master’s degree had their first child after their 20s. In fact, one-fifth didn’t become mothers until they were at least 35. Some 28% became moms in their late 20s, and 18% had children earlier in their lives.
Four-in-Ten Couples are Saying “I Do,” Again
In 2013, 40% of new marriages in the U.S. included at least one partner who had been married before. Almost 42 million Americans have been married more than once, up from 22 million in 1980.
Record Share of Americans Have Never Married
One-in-five adults ages 25 and older have never married, up from 9% in 1960. Shifting public attitudes toward marriage, hard economic times and changing demographic patterns may have all played a role.
Record Share of Americans Have Never Married
One-in-five adults ages 25 and older have never married, up from 9% in 1960. Shifting public attitudes toward marriage, hard economic times and changing demographic patterns may have all played a role.
Teaching the Children: Sharp Ideological Differences, Some Common Ground
People with consistently conservative political values are particularly likely to say it is important to teach children religious faith, while those with consistently liberal values stand out for the priority they give to teaching tolerance.
How is Ideology Linked to Child-Rearing Values?
Respondents in the Pew Research Center’s American Trends Panel were surveyed about which of 12 traits they feel are “especially important to teach children,” and to then choose the three most important. The total percentages who name each trait among the most important are presented in this interactive chart along a scale of political ideology.
