Wheatley Institution

Poll: Republicans and Democrats Share Same Challenges to Family Life, but Diverge When Considering Challenges of Other Families

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

PROVO, Utah, Dec. 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Republicans and Democrats are united in their assessments of the challenges facing their own families – with top concerns being mental or physical health struggles and finding family time – but part ways when asked to consider the challenges facing families generally, according to the ninth annual American Family Survey. The report, by the Wheatley Institute, Deseret News and Brigham Young University's Center for the Study of Elections and Democracy, found that the way Americans perceive the challenges facing The Family as an institution has less to do with the actual challenges families face and more to do with differences in partisan world views. Democrats express more concern about stress on parents and the cost of raising a family, for example, while Republicans worry about single parenting and a decline in religious faith.

Key Points:

Democrats express more concern about stress on parents and the cost of raising a family, for example, while Republicans worry about single parenting and a decline in religious faith.
The survey also found increasing support of marriage among certain groups, including Blacks, Hispanics, pure independents, lower income respondents and those without a college degree.
Those making more than $120,000 annually and those who have a college degree have decreased in their approval.
29% of respondents feel that mental or physical health struggles are the most important challenge facing their family.

New Report Finds Link Between Strong Marriages and Sexual Restraint During the Dating Years

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

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PROVO, Utah, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For many young adults, single life in American culture has become synonymous with sexual experimentation in both committed romantic dating relationships and casual sexual hook-ups. However, most single adults in the United States today still desire to one day have a successful, lifelong marriage. Because of these trends, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that over half of married adults in the United States enter marriage today having had five or more previous sexual partners.

Key Points:

Are these dating patterns compatible with the future desire for a loving and lasting marriage?
In fact, the report reviews a series of recent studies using several different national datasets showing that having multiple sexual partners during the dating years leads to higher divorce rates in future marriages.
The report entitled, "The Myth of Sexual Experience: Why Sexually Inexperienced Dating Couples Actually Go On to Have Stronger Marriages," found that between 10% to 20% of married adults report that they have only engaged in sexual intercourse with their spouse.
These findings remained strong even when statistically controlling for a range of variables including biological sex, religiosity and relationship length, these findings held strong.

Date Nights Linked to Stronger Marriages, More Sexual Satisfaction, According to New Study

Retrieved on:

Thursday, February 9, 2023

CARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Feb. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Many people enter into marriage seeking heightened levels of intimacy, communication and togetherness but struggle to keep the fires burning in their relationship. A new report from the National Marriage Project and the Wheatley Institute found that there may be a simple way to help keep your marriage strong: date nights.

Key Points:

Data from this study was used to determine 1 how date nights are linked to relationship quality, 2 whether one-on-one time is associated with lower divorce risks and 3 if date nights are tied to greater sexual satisfaction.
Among the report's key findings:
Husbands and wives who engaged in frequent date nights were 14 to 15 percentage points more likely to report being "very happy" in their marriages, compared to those who enjoyed infrequent date nights.
The report highlights five ways date nights are likely to foster stronger marriages and relationships:
Communication.
"Efforts to promote date nights should provide couples with free or inexpensive options to rekindle the romance in their lives.

Study Sheds Light on Benefits of Home-Centered Religious Practice

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, December 13, 2022

PROVO, Utah, Dec. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While many public reports have found that religion has a profoundly positive impact on people's lives, a new report from the Wheatley Institute suggests that many of these studies often underestimate the full benefits of religion. The report entitled, "A Not-So-Good Faith Estimate: Why Many Studies Underestimate the Full Benefits of Religion," explores how active engagement in home-centered religious practices-in addition to regularly attending their religious services-leads to experiencing the greatest benefits to individual well-being and relationship outcomes.

Key Points:

The report entitled, "A Not-So-Good Faith Estimate: Why Many Studies Underestimate the Full Benefits of Religion," explores how active engagement in home-centered religious practices-in addition to regularly attending their religious services-leads to experiencing the greatest benefits to individual well-being and relationship outcomes.
"Religious dosage matters," said Jason S. Carroll, associate director of the Wheatley Institute and co-author of the report.
The study highlights the deficiencies with the common practice in many public studies of measuring religiosity solely by levels of church attendance.
Many of the benefits of home-centered religious practices are even stronger in the United States than they are in other countries and are particularly strong for women.

Report: Teens' Digital Media Habits Shaped by Family Structure

Retrieved on:

Monday, October 31, 2022

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- While the most widely debated family rules used to revolve around curfews, going out with friends or access to the car, today's biggest family battles are often centered on a different concern: electronic devices. Parents limiting their children's' technology use is a crucial task given links between excessive use—especially of social media—and depression and anxiety in both correlational and experimental studies. But a new study shows that family structure and family connection can also play a role in the amount of time teens spend on the screen.

Key Points:

But a new study shows that family structure and family connection can also play a role in the amount of time teens spend on the screen.
A new report from the Institute for Family Studies and the Wheatley Institute observes the impact family structure can have on adolescents' interaction with digital media.
Moreover, some 43% of teens in intact families say they have a family media plan and that media expectations are clear in their family, but only 35% of teens in single-parent families and 29% of teens in stepfamilies say this is the case in their family.
"is the first study to examine technology and media use among America's teens segmenting their tech use by their family structure.

For Fertility, Marriage Still Matters

Retrieved on:

Thursday, October 6, 2022

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In fact, marital behaviors remain so closely tied to fertility behaviors that it is virtually impossible to promote marriage or fertility alone without also influencing the other.

Key Points:

In fact, marital behaviors remain so closely tied to fertility behaviors that it is virtually impossible to promote marriage or fertility alone without also influencing the other.
The report, Marriage Still Matters: Demonstrating the Link Between Marriage and Fertility in the 21st Century , is written by IFS research fellow Lyman Stone and Wheatley Institute fellow Spencer L. James.
and (2) Does the likelihood that women enter their first marriage increase after they have their first child?
Among the reports key findings:
Worldwide, the likelihood of having a first birth always rises dramatically after marriage.

Is Marrying Later Always Better? New Report Says No.

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, February 9, 2022

A new report, however, finds no empirical reasons to favor later "capstone marriages" (over the age of 25) over "cornerstone marriages" (those who married between the ages of 20-24).

Key Points:

A new report, however, finds no empirical reasons to favor later "capstone marriages" (over the age of 25) over "cornerstone marriages" (those who married between the ages of 20-24).
The report even found some evidence that, on average, cornerstone or early marriages may enjoy slightly higher relationship quality than capstone marriages.
Highlights of the report include:
Many young Americans are marrying and desire to marry in their early and mid-20s.
Early-married husbands report they are more satisfied with their marriages than later-married husbands (81% vs. 71%) and report greater sexual satisfaction (63% vs. 49%).

One in Five Couples Report Conflict Related to Pornography, According to New Survey

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --A national poll on couples and pornography released today found that one in five couples report conflict in their relationship related to pornography.

Key Points:

SALT LAKE CITY, Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --A national poll on couples and pornography released today found that one in five couples report conflict in their relationship related to pornography.
The survey was comprised of two national datasets one with individuals in couple relationships and a second with matched partners for which both partners or spouses completed the survey.
About half of all non-married couples report using pornography together, at least sometimes.
While about half of all married men report watching pornography with their spouse, only about a third of married women report the same behavior.

In Wake of COVID-19, Americans More Divided on Desire to Marry and Have Children, According to New Survey

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

When it comes to class, the findings are more complex, with childbearing trends among the poor becoming closer to those of more educated and affluent Americans."

Key Points:

When it comes to class, the findings are more complex, with childbearing trends among the poor becoming closer to those of more educated and affluent Americans."
It sought to answer three questions: Will marriage and fertility fall further in the wake of the pandemic?
Are Americans likely to turn toward family formation in response to the loneliness from pandemic lockdowns?
The desire to marry increased nine percentage points overall among higher-income Americans vs. 4% for middle-income and 2% among lower-income Americans.