The share of young men (ages 18 to 34) who say that having a successful marriage is one of the most important things in their lives has dropped six percentage points since 1997, from 35% to 29%. For women, the opposite effect occurred, as the share voicing this opinion rose from 28% to 37%.

This gender gap is a new development, as men and women were statistically equal on this measure in 1997.

Among middle-aged and older women, there has been a marginal rise in the share who place the highest priority on marriage during this time (32% to 37%). Among middle-aged and older men, this figure has increased nine percentage points since 1997, and is nearly equal (36%) to that of similarly-aged women today. Read More