What Influences the Attitudes of People in the United States Toward Marriage? A Critical Review

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to review a selected body of research published over the past 25 years, 1984 to 2008, and focus on what influences the attitudes of people in the United States toward marriage; to critique what is known about how attitudes toward marriage are affected by a variety of factors. A review of 14 studies revealed that research questions were limited in terms of scope. Theoretical guidance has been minimal, with only 5 of the 14 studies incorporating theoretical or conceptual frameworks. Despite these limitations, the findings of the 14 studies showed that offspring’s attitudes toward marriage is highly dependent on the parental/family environment: Those whose parents were having conflicts, were divorced, and were having post-divorce interparental conflict expressed negative attitudes toward marriage.