Not everyone likes the tune of wedding bells: Nearly two in five Americans don’t believe marriage is necessary, according to a new Harris Interactive Poll.Â
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Harris surveyed 2,266 American adults and found that while most people believe marriage is important, their answers ultimately varied based on their age. Over half of Millennials (ages 18-36) thought marriage was unnecessary, yet only 19 percent of people 68 and older agreed. Don’t let those figures bum you out if you’re pre-planning table settings and flower arrangements for your fairytale wedding: Overall, 71 percent of participants (men and women) still believe saying “I do†is a relationship end goal.
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Obviously not everyone agrees that marriage is crucial, and that’s totally OK. After all, a gold band doesn’t define a relationship, and plenty of couples are perfectly happy without the ring.
So why aren’t Millennials amped about walking down the aisle? It may just be that the younger participants in the survey didn’t see it as having a huge importance in their lives yet. Some of the participants in this age group were 18, so it’s possible they’ll feel differently later on. And don’t worry if you think that cohabitation is replacing marriage in the minds of Millennials. In reality, new research shows that many people view moving in together as a steppingstone to marriage, and the data suggest that it doesn’t increase your risk of divorce.
But if you’re dying to know where your relationship is headed, it’s a good idea to ask your long-term partner about the future—including career aspirations, living situations, kids, and marriage, says relationship expert Andrea Syrtash, the author of It’s Okay to Sleep with Him on the First Date: And Every Other Rule of Dating, Debunked. This way you’re both on the same page about what you want out of the relationship and where you stand on the major issues.
TELL US: How important is marriage to you? Sound off in comments below!
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