Over the last 20 years, there has been a noticeable leveling out of risks associated with cohabitation before marriage.

It’s now fairly unremarkable in most corners of the United States to find acceptance of premarital cohabitation. In recent polls, only 14 percent say it’s never acceptable, while nearly 80 percent of adults under 30 see it as a reasonable option.

For emerging adults, some evidence suggests that marriage is not the primary reason for moving in together, at least initially (Dover & Willoughby, 2024). Polling data supports this finding, with the top three reasons for moving in including love, companionship, and wanting to make a formal commitment.

Kuo and Raley (2016) found that for people who began to cohabit from 1990 to 1995, 41 percent of cohabitors transitioned to marriage. Then from 2005 to 2010, only 24 percent transitioned to marriage. Marriage rates have consistently fallen over the last several decades.

Despite seemingly dire consequences for the institution of marriage, a 2019 Pew Research........

© Psychology Today