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Fewer Americans Believe Marriage Is Important To Raising Kids, Gallup Says

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Jesse Stiller Contributor
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A Gallup survey released Monday suggested that more Americans were open to the idea that it was not important to be legally married if a couple had children together.

In a 2020 survey of Americans, 29 percent of those polled saw marriage as “very important” for couples with children, according to Gallup, a stark contrast from the 49 percent who repsonded the same in 2006.

The number of Americans who saw marriage between couples with children as “not important” rose to 40 percent, up significantly from 23 percent in 2006, according to Gallup.

Between 2006 and 2020, all of the subgroups had softened their views on marriage between couples with children, with men between 35-54 and Republicans registering the largest drops, the poll reported. (RELATED: Famous Christian Apologist Ravi Zacharias Engaged In Sexual Misconduct, Ministry Says)

In terms of spending the rest of their lives together, according to Gallup, 38% of respondents saw that as “very important,” down from 54 percent in 2006.

Those that responded “not at all important” rose to 36 percent, as reported by Gallup, up from 25 percent in 2006.

Despite the changing views on marriage, as suggested by Gallup’s poll, the desire for Americans to get married is still high, with 69 percent of respondents saying they have been married at some point.

The poll was conducted between May 1-13, 2020 with a random sampling of 1,028 adults across the United States.