New Barna Survey Reveals Practicing Christians Happier with Marriages, but Some at High Risk for “Gray Divorce”

  • 73% of Practicing Christians Say They are Very Satisfied with Their Marriage
  •  Gen X at Highest Divorce Risk—Only 47% of Gen X Say They are Very Satisfied with Their Marriage—Compared to 65% of Millennials and 61% of Boomers
  • Despite Lower Marital Satisfaction, only 17% of Gen Xers Have Considered Getting Help to Save or Improve Their Marriage

(Spring Hill, TN—June 14, 2021) Marriage Helper, in partnership with Barna Group—one of America’s foremost researchers of culture and societal trends—is releasing the results of a new national survey on marriage and divorce. Results are from surveys conducted April 15th thru May 10th of over 1,500 US adults. The research reveals an alarming divorce trend, most notably among Generation X couples this Father’s Day. 

“Our data on practicing Christians is encouraging, but when you connect that to the larger trends—Generation Xers are at the highest risk to repeat the ‘Gray Divorce’ cycle started by Baby Boomers—everyone needs to be on the alert. Xers are less satisfied in their marriages, less likely to seek help, and ripe for divorce as their kids leave home and life patterns shift,” said Kimberly Holmes, CEO of Marriage Helper. “While men believe they’re very satisfied in their marriages, decades of research shows that men are actually resistant to admitting there is a problem. We’re giving complimentary access to our Father’s Day tune up course precisely because it provides a non-intimidating way for men to dip their toe in the water and take a positive step to take action on their marriage.”

For full detail on the Barna/Marriage Helper Research, click here.

Key Insights

Practicing Christians Most Satisfied With Their Marriages

  • 73% of practicing Christians say they are very satisfied with their marriage
  • 59% of US adults say they are very satisfied with their marriage  
  • 54% of non-Christians say they are very satisfied with their marriage

Gen X Demographic Most Dissatisfied With Their Marriages

  • 47% of Gen Xers say they are very satisfied with their marriage
  • 65% of Millennials say they are very satisfied with their marriage 
  • 61% of Baby Boomers say they are very satisfied with their marriage

Gen X Significantly Less Likely than Millenials to Seek Help for Marriage

  • 29% of Millennials have considered getting help for their marriage in the last year 
  • 17% of Gen Xers have considered getting help for their marriage in the last year 
  • 4% of Baby Boomers have considered getting help for their marriage in the last year

Men More Likely to Say They are Very Satisfied with Their Marriage

  • 65% of men say they are very satisfied with their marriage
  • 52% of women say they are very satisfied with their marriage