Millennials value Parenting more than Marriage

A recent Pew Poll and study among 18-25 year-old adults found that parenting is more important than marriage. The majority of Millennials, (generally those born between 1982 and 1995) about 52%, said being a good parent is “one of the most important things” in life. About 30% said the same about having a successful marriage. This Pew Poll points out that there is a 22 percentage point gap in the way Millennials value parenthood over marriage.

Sometimes called “Generation Y”, Millennials differed from their Generation X counterparts:

When this same question was posed to 18- to 29-year-olds in 1997, the gap was just 7 percentage points. Back then, 42% of the members of what is known as Generation X said being a good parent was one of the most important things in life, while 35% said the same about having a successful marriage.

What does this mean?

Well, for one, it means that younger adults seem to value parenting a little more than their older brothers and sisters. Two, it seems that more younger adults are really not interested in marriage, but parenting. However, when asked about if young adults want to get married, look at the results:

When asked personally about marriage, young adults want to get married. However, their assumptions about the importance of marriage is different. They want to get married, but maybe an education or finding a job is more of a priority in this tough economy.

The question now becomes, “What is consider a successful marriage?” A successful marriage might not be about happiness, but about staying together. Based on these statistics, young people want to get married, but raising children seems to be more of a concern.   There are many who say that people do not care about the value of marriage anymore. Anecdotally, many think most older adults believe marriage is becoming obsolete. Check out this next poll:

It seems younger adults think marriage is becoming obsolete, but older adults still value traditional arrangements of marriage and family. Strange. Younger adults, 70%, want to get married despite the belief that marriage is becoming obsolete.

This leaves the church to reach out to younger adults. Personally, I’ve seen an increase in younger adults living together first and then tying the knot. Churches must begin to realize the reality of marriage and family. Our ministry to young adults should not be one of judgement, but education.  Statistics on the correlation between cohabitation and divorce are strong. People want to “try out” marriage before committing.  Our culture is losing its affinity for formal commitment, but marriage is still relevant as an institution in our culture.

How do you respond to these statistics? Is marriage worth it anymore?