LoveGeist 2010: Does Marriage Still Matter?

Advice
  • Friday, December 03 2010 @ 09:14 am
  • Contributed by:
  • Views: 1,562

We're back with more results from Match.com's 2010 LoveGeist Report!

Is Britain heartbroken? Are long-term relationships a thing of the past? Or is love more important now than ever?

According to the Future Foundation, we are experiencing a trend called The Myth of Decline. If that sounds bad, it's because it is - The Myth of Decline asserts that we are "less content than we used to be; that we have less time and more stress on our hands; that families and communities are not as strong as before; and that marriage and personal relationships of all kinds are on the rocks."

Yikes. Things look pretty bleak.

Or do they?

The findings of the LoveGeist Report, and of a lot of other research, support a counter-argument: "that we have more time than ever before, that our relationships are healthy and robust, and that family life is strong." The LoveGeist researchers found that:

  • A whopping 93% of daters in the UK are looking for long-term relationships.
  • 80% of those polled said that having a long-term relationship is "important" or "extremely important" to them, a finding that was split evenly between men and women.
  • A fifth of daters reported that finding love is their top priority.
  • Almost half of respondents agreed that a happy love life was more important than their career.
  • Nearly 50% stated that they would relocate for a long-term relationship, and more than 40% said they would reprioritize their career for love.

Love is so important to UK daters, in fact, that it is no longer considered a fortunate twist of fate that "just happens" to lucky people; finding a relationship is now thought of as a fundamental feature of life that should be actively pursued. And contrary to popular belief, marriage is not in decline. Only 13% of daters reported that they have no interest in marriage or a civil partnership, and that number drops below 5% for the under 40 crowd.

Research suggests that love in the 21st century is all about choice. While marriage is still an objective for many, particularly the younger generation, society no longer thinks of it as the only valid symbol of long-term commitment. 37% of daters believe that having children together is the truest sign of genuine commitment, while 33% still think of marriage as the ultimate symbol of devotion and 21% consider moving in together to be the strongest indicator of a serious bond.

What does this mean for the future of marriage? Experts believe that the amount of choice open to modern daters is creating the opportunity for them to learn important life lessons earlier than previous generations were able to. "In other words," says the LoveGeist Report, "because marriage is not the only option for singles in their 20s, they are free to try out different relationships, experience different ways of dating and expand their horizons." Although that doesn't secure the future of marriage, it likely means that daters will be able to take the vital lessons learned in their youth and apply them to later relationships, increasing their chances of settling into happier long-term unions.

That's a future we can all look forward to.

For more information on this popular UK dating site, you can read our review of the UK version of Match.com .