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The deinstitutionalization of marriage suggests more support for divorce and the forgoing of marriage. In this study, we examine attitudes toward both marriage and divorce in the context of having children and how they coincide with each other, creating a new typology of attitudes. Based on a national probability sample of 2,789 adults from the American Marriage Survey conducted in 2021, we find that just over half (55%) of people express transformative deinstitutionalization attitudes, in which they support divorce as well as forgoing marriage, while the next largest group (22%) hold divorce deinstitutionalization attitudes, in which they support divorce but also encourage marriage when children are involved. Findings show that women, gay, lesbian, bisexual, and pansexual individuals, and those who are cohabiting or divorced are more likely to hold transformative deinstitutionalization attitudes compared to pro-institutionalization attitudes, which support marriage and oppose divorce when children are involved. Meanwhile, older individuals, those who attend religious services more frequently, and those who identify as more politically conservative are less likely to hold any form of deinstitutionalization attitudes. Interestingly, education and parenthood have no impact on this set of attitudes. Given trends that show decreases in marriage and increases in LGBT identification, there may be further movement toward the disconnection of marriage and children.
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Children’s and Adults’ Perceptions of Religious and Secular Interventions for Incarcerated Individuals in the United States
Religious involvement is prevalent in prisons, a context where questions of moral redemption are particularly salient. We probed the developmental origins of adults’ perceptions that religion might lead to redemption following transgressions. Six- to eight-year-olds (n = 50 United States residents) and adults (n = 53 United States residents) learned about incarcerated characters who had taken religion classes, art classes, or life classes (about right and wrong) while imprisoned. They then rated their agreement with statements assessing attitudes toward the incarcerated individuals, the effectiveness of each character’s time in prison, and their likelihood of recidivism. Children were more likely than adults to report that classes, in general, would effectively rehabilitate incarcerated individuals. However, participants of all ages reported more positive attitudes toward people who took religion classes and life classes rather than art classes. Further, participants of all ages reported that people who took art classes, versus religion or life classes, would be more likely to continue transgressing. These findings highlight the important role that religious and secular learning plays in perceptions of redemption across development.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2044360
- PAR ID:
- 10431369
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Religions
- Volume:
- 14
- Issue:
- 7
- ISSN:
- 2077-1444
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 821
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
-
Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Journal Article:
- https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14070821
