The Institute for Family Studies recently published the results of a survey on “The Decline in Marriage and Childbearing Among Progressives.” It found that conservative men and women are more likely to view marriage and the family as positive goods than liberals are. It is therefore not surprising to learn that “a majority of conservative young adults ages 25-35 have married and become parents, whereas only a minority of liberal young adults have done likewise.”
This divide has real-life consequences for the wellbeing of young people, both men and women.
A study by this organization published earlier this year found that liberal women are not only less likely to marry, they are less likely to be churchgoers. This matters because these same women are much more likely to be unhappy, largely a function of their loneliness.
Gallup recently released a survey on youth and loneliness and found that young men who experience the highest levels of loneliness are the most likely to say that political violence is sometimes acceptable. Social disconnection can be deadly.
What these findings suggest is what sociologists have long known: we are social animals, meant to connect to each other through marriage, the family, and religion. They are not only at the heart of creating strong social bonds, they are at the heart of happiness and a general sense of wellbeing. Indeed, similar data show a relation with physical health.
In the first study cited, we also learn that the decline in childbearing is “most prominent among liberal parents and in liberal states.” Moreover, families are leaving blue states [dominated by Democrats] for red states [Republican strongholds]. As a result, they are also depleting the number of electoral college votes in blue states and increasing them in red states. So these social factors have political consequences.
There are many reasons for these outcomes. Those who are heavy users of social media tend to be socially disconnected, and the same is true of those addicted to video games. Those who are college educated are more likely to have a dim view of marriage and the family, and are therefore more likely to be single. Those who have no religious affiliation—often the same people—are also the most likely to experience loneliness.
It is in the interest of individuals, and society, to create a social soil where strong bonds can be formed. Unfortunately, radical individualism, which is endemic, prevents us from achieving this goal.
It behooves those who shape public policy to create incentives for marriage, childbearing and churchgoing. Liberals will complain that these factors are likely to lead to a more favorable environment for conservatives. Guilty as charged. But given that the milieu that favors liberals is detrimental to their wellbeing, and to the rest of us, it makes no sense to listen to them.
