Family members, peers, advertisements, religion, laws, public opinion, and economics all exert some level of influence over our attitudes and behaviors, thereby affecting the health of marriages and the confidence individuals have in this foundational institution. G eorgia adults were read a list of changes in society that may or may not have contributed to the weaker status of marriages today. They evaluated each change on a scale of one to 10, with one meaning the change has not contributed at all to the problems and 10 meaning the change has contributed a great deal to marital stress.
Additional analysis identifies some differences in opinion based on individual experiences.
Those who rated their marriages as a nine or 10 rated this problem as an 8.2 compared to a 7.5 for lower tiers. Individuals 50 years and older rated it an 8.2 and those under fifty gave it a 7.4 rating.