Public Has Mixed Views on the Modern American Family [REPORT]

By Kim Parker and Rachel Minkin

Trends in marriage and fertility along with shifting social norms and important legal changes have reshaped the American family.

Public views of the family are complicated. Americans are more pessimistic than optimistic about the institution of marriage and the family.

And there is no consensus on how some of the broad trends that are driving family change will impact the country in the future. Majorities say fewer people marrying these days and more couples living together without being married won’t have a positive or negative impact.

There’s baseline support for a variety of family arrangements, but the public still favors some types of families over others. Families that include a married husband and wife raising children are seen as the most acceptable. At the same time, relatively few Americans say marriage and parenthood are central to living a fulfilling life.

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